Hespeler Animal Hospital

Some Halloween safety tips for pet owners

Halloween will be here soon!  It’s so much fun to see all those cute trick-or-treaters!  However, just as there are dangers for our children on Halloween, there are some for pets as well.  Here are some tips to keep your dog or cat happy and safe:

 1/  Keep candies and chocolates out of reach of Fido and Fluffy.  Candies can cause upset stomachs or can be choking hazards.  If your pet eats candy wrappers, they can cause intestinal obstructions.  Chocolate can be toxic to pets.  Dark chocolates pose the highest risk.  The approximate toxic dose for pets is 1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk Chocolate, 1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semi-Sweet chocolate, and 1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker’s chocolate. 

 2/  Watch your pet does not run outdoors and escape when you open to door to greet trick-or-treaters.  You may want to confine the pet to a room away from the front door, or keep your dog on a leash.  Pets that are potentially aggressive towards children should be kept under your control at all times.

 3/  Make sure your dog or cat has some I.D., either a microchip or a tag, preferably both (collars can break and tags can be lost, not an issue with microchips).  Now might be a good time to call your veterinarian to ask about having your pet “chipped”.

 4/  Some pets might be stressed by the sound of the doorbell going off every few minutes, or by the sight of all those scary costumes!  Plan ahead so your companion isn’t frightened by all the commotion.

 5/  Dressing pets up for Halloween can be a lot of fun, but make sure your pet is okay with the idea.  You may want to have Fifi wear the costume for short periods of time before the big night, in slowly increasing time intervals.  Give her plenty of rewards for tolerating being dressed up.

 6/  If Fido is going trick-or-treating with you and the children, keep him on a leash at all times.  Put some reflective tape on his costume, as well as those of the kids.

7/  Watch out for cords that can obstruct breathing, or buttons that can be chewed off and swallowed., if you choose to dress up your pet.

8/  Keep all electrical cords out of reach of your pets.

 9/  Watch your dog or cat can’t get at the pumpkin and burn itself on the candle, or knock it over and start a fire.

 10/  Keep kitty indoors on October 30 or 31.  Black cats are especially at risk for cruel pranks.

Here’s hoping for some good weather on October 31, and a safe night for all!