Halloween Safety for Pets
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Halloween and Holiday Safety for Pets
A lot of us enjoy Halloween and we want to include our pets in the fun, but we must be careful because our pets can become scared by all the noises, strange costumes and visitors coming to the door. Plan ahead and if your pet is one to bark at every visitor or try to bolt out the door, then confinement to a back bedroom may be warranted. Be safe by making sure your pet has an ID tag, microchip or even a GPS tracker in case he escapes or gets lost.
Halloween has the highest incidence of lost dogs, injuries from car accidents, and accidental poisoinings than any other holiday. The Halloween holiday has a higher number of dog bites to children and to people the dog is normally social around. You are resposible for protecting and controlling your pet to keep him from escaping or accidentally biting the trick or treaters coming to your door.
Halloween costumes may frighten our pets. Be extra cautious with your dog so he won’t be scared or try to attack the stranger in a costume. Masks or hats can sometimes confuse your dog or trigger territorial instincts even if they are normally familiar with that person. My dog Jake, did not like the Monster that swallowed my son and tried his very best to pull the costume off my son. We had to take our son with the coustume in a bag to his friends house to change and go trick or treating. We also tried to dress Jake in a costume, but he did not tolerate that either and he tried to eat the costume. Some dogs love the costumes, and some dogs hate it.
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If you want to dress up your dog for Halloween, make sure your dog is comfortable at all times. Avoid costumes that use rubber bands or can restrict circulation or breathing. Check for toxic paints or dyes. You may want to dress him up a few days earlier to get him used to the idea rather than wait for Halloween when all the excitment is at its highest. If your pet is uncomfortable in any way, get a quick picture, then let him “Trick or Treat” in his “birthday suit”.
When your child returns with their treats, be sure to put the goodies far out of reach of your pet. Chocolate is toxic to dogs and pets are known to eat the goodies; wrappers, sticks and all. Also, watch your treat bowl. An unguarded treat bowl brimming with goodies is tempting to your dog. Nothing ruins a Halloween festivity than a trip to the animal emergency hospital with a sick pet.
Halloween can be fun for you and your pet with a little planning and safeguarding your pet against escape, injury or poisoning.
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