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Itโs almost that time of the year again where children go
trick-or-treating and thereโs a lot of candy lying around
everywhere. Halloween is almost upon us and keeping our pets safe
on the spookiest night of the year has to be a priority. Here are
a few tips you can follow in order to keep your animal friends
safe this Halloween.
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Keep Trick-Or-Treat Candies Away From Your
Pet.Any and all kinds of chocolate can be dangerous to
your dog. Especially dark chocolate or baking chocolate. Keep
these delicious human treats away from animals. Chocolate
poisoning can have severe effects on your dog. The symptoms
related to chocolate poisoning are diarrhea, vomiting, rapid
breathing, seizures, and an increase in heart rate. Chocolate
isnโt the only treat that can be dangerous for your
dogs.Another threat to your dogโs health this Halloween is the
sweetener called xylitol thatโs used in candies. Xylitol can
cause an immediate drop in your dogโs blood sugar levels
causing seizures and a loss of coordination. Although the
toxicity of Xylitol is still to be determined in cats, keep
them away. After all, youโre better safe than sorry.
-
Keep Your Pets Away From The
Door. Halloween is one of the busiest
nights of the year with children barging in for candy every few
seconds. These little strangers who are loud and unusually
dressed are especially scary for your dogs. Your dogs are
extremely territorial and that could pose a threat to the
trick-or-treaters. Keeping your dog confined in a secure room
also prevents him from running out into the night. A scary
night where no one wants to be out looking for a lost pet.
-
Never Leave Pets Out In The Yard During
Halloween. Certain pranksters are known
to go as far as kidnapping and even killing animals during
Halloween. All that can be prevented if you keep your dog in a
safe room in the house.
-
Keep Electric Light Cords Out Of Your Dogโs
Reach. If your pet chews on a wire, he
could possibly get a life-threatening shock. Cats are drawn to
bright things. If she chews on sparkly Christmas lights, sheโll
end up getting cuts inside her mouth that can lead to
infections.
-
Make Sure He Has Contact Information Written On
His Collar. On the slight chance that he
does get lost on this busy night, it is of utmost importance
that you keep an ID on his tag so that whoever finds him will
be able to return him to you. Make sure you provide contact
details including your number, an alternative number, and your
home address.Donโt let negligence be the cause of disaster
during Halloween. Protect your pets from this scary night by
taking proper precautions.
Some more safety tips to make the most of Halloween for both you
and your dog.
7 Tips for a Safer Halloween Costume for Your Pet
Halloween is almost upon us, and with it the throngs of costumed
party-goers and trick-or-treaters, the temptation to get your
pets involved is almost overwhelming, but beware! People are
often so wrapped up in making sure
their petsโ costumes look amazing, they forget to make sure
it's safe. There are a number of health considerations that
should be made before you give your pet the full Halloween
treatment.
1) They Need to be Down With Getting Dressed Up
This is probably the most important step. If your pet is not
going to tolerate wearing a costume, that should probably be the
end of it. You can try putting them in a themed collar, or maybe
use some pet safe face paint to give them a taste of Halloween,
but you should never force your furry pal to wear anything they
are uncomfortable with.
2) They Gotta Love the Limelight
Pets in public draw attention. Pets in costume have them lined up
around the block. This is an important fact to consider. If your
pet does not do well as the center of attention, wearing a
costume in public might not be the best idea. You can still take
them around, but you should keep an eye on how they
are coping with the stress.
3) The Costume Shouldn't Be a Choking Hazard
For pets that are cool with wearing costumes (and the attention
that ensues), it is still important to make sure that their
costume is not a health risk. Little plastic bits or strands of
elastic can easily go from being cute decorations to choking
hazards. It is best to make certain that there is no part of the
costume that your pet can easily chew off or get wrapped around
their neck.
4) Make Sure They Are Visible
Part of what makes Halloween so fun is getting to walk the
streets, dressed up in our ghoulish best, under the cover of
darkness; itโs almost the entire point! However, taking your pet
out this late comes with its own sets of risks. A good idea is to
include a reflective strip somewhere on your pet's costume, or an
LED light. Anything to help make them more visible.
5) Keep Your Pets Hydrated
For people, wearing a costume is not much different from what we
do every day -- namely, wear clothes. For a pet that wears
clothes roughly never, wearing a costume over their permanent fur
coat can cause them to overheat. That, along with being outside
for extended periods of time, could result in a dehydrated pet. A
good idea is to carry a bottle
of water around with you, giving your buddy a drink
every few blocks.
6) Keep Their Tags On
To make your pet more comfortable, you might be inclined to take
off their collar, considering their costume is probably already
wrapped around their neck in some way. Donโt! Halloween can be a
chaotic time, and with this heightened risk of getting separated,
it is best to leave their
ID tags on. Should your pet get spooked or distracted and run
off, it helps to know that anyone who finds them will know to
whom this pet belongs. Beats running around your neighborhood
yelling โHas anyone seen a beagle dressed as Batman?!โ
7) Absolutely No Candy!
Not exactly costume safety, but important
nonetheless: Chocolate is
dangerous to cats and dogs, and many kids are unaware of
that fact. Thinking they are just being nice by sharing some of
their hard earned loot, a child might try to give your pet a bit
of a candy bar, which could mean a late night trip to the vet for
you. Better to keep an eye on what is going into their mouth.
Will You or Won't You?
Dressing up pets is not a universally loved practice -- some
dislike the idea of a pet in costume, seeing it as inappropriate
or downright oppressive. What do you think? Tell us in the
comments.