Tonight you may be visited by children taking part in the Halloween tradition of Trick or Treating. This can be a scary time for our pets. Therefore, we have provided you with some tips on how to keep them safe this Halloween:
Keep Halloween treats out of reach from your pets
Around Halloween more sweets and chocolate are around the house than normal. This means your pet is more likely to eat something they shouldn’t. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous to your pets, as can raisins. Any sugary sweets containing xylitol can cause serious problems also. If you suspect your pet has eaten anything they should not have please contact your Vet ASAP!
Ensure your pet is identifiable if they escape (e.g. collar with ID tag for your dog and up to date details on your pets microchip)
With frequent visitors to your door during Halloween there is more chance of your pet escaping. Ensure you dog has their collar on with the ID tag attached. For your pets who are microchipped, ensure your details on the microchip are up to date (please contact your microchip company to amend your details).
Walk your dog earlier and in daylight to avoid bumping into people in the dark wearing scary costumes
Bumping into people wearing strange costumes and more people than your dog is used to on their walk may be scary. Take them for their usual walk earlier in daylight or try and postpone their walk until the trick or treaters die down.
Keep the Halloween decorations (especially open flames) away from your pets reach/cage
Sparkly, dangly and a new smell? This will cause your pet to be very interested in what these new things in their house are. Ensure they are kept safely away from your pet, especially your small furries cages. Any open flames from candles or inside pumpkins should be kept away from your pet.
Provide your pet with a hideaway area safe from visitors and noise
Ensure your pet has a hideaway place they can retreat to if they need to. Ensure the hideaway has a good source of water and food, close the curtains and maybe put on some music or the TV to help drown out the sound from outside.
Consider bringing in your pets who live outside indoors on Halloween night to protect them from too much noise
For the pets who live outside or have access to the outside, consider bringing them indoors to protect them from too much noise or from getting spooked and running away.
