Halloween is fun for humans, especially children. Keep in mind, though, that Halloween can be stressful, or dangerous, for your pet. Banfield Pet Hospital has a guide to Halloween safety that pet owner should read over. It can help you avoid tragedy and a pet insurance claim.
It is understandable that pet owners will want to share the fun of the holiday with their pets. After all, pets are part of the family! Pet owners need to keep in mind that there are many things associated with Halloween that can lead to a dangerous situation for your dog or cat.
No one wants to have their pet to become injured or severely ill. There are things that pet owners can do to avoid a Halloween related tragedy. Banfield Pet Hospital has created a Guide to Halloween Safety that has lots of good advice for pet owners. Following their advice could keep your pet out of the veterinarian’s office, and can prevent you from having to make a pet insurance claim on Halloween.
It has become tradition for pet stores to sell Halloween costumes for pets. It is my understanding that some pets actually do enjoy wearing a costume. Make sure that your pet’s costume is not constricting, as this can cause stress to your pet.
Don’t use rubber bands to hold part of the costume in place, as this can restrict circulation or cause digestive problems if your pet eats it. Make sure that your pet’s vision is not obstructed by the costume. Dogs and cats that cannot see well could become nervous (and that could influence them to bite).
All those trick-or-treaters coming to the door may freak out some pets. This is especially true for pets that have a noise phobia. Keep dogs that have an especially protective tendency away from the front door, for safety. You might want to put your dog in another room of the house until the trick-or-treating hours are over.
Make sure your cat doesn’t slip out the door while you are handing out candy. Harm can come to pets that roam the neighborhood on Halloween. Mean people have a tendency to injure or kill pets on Halloween.
Keep the candy away from your dogs and cats. The candy might have an interesting smell, or a colorful wrapper, that attracts your pet. Banfield Pet Health Resources says that chocolate can be poisonous for pets. Dogs and cats that eat the packaging on the candy can choke, or experience severe intestinal harm.
Image by plasticrevolver on Flickr