Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween is known to be the spookiest time of the year, but it doesn’t have to be for your pets. Here are our top 5 safety tips to keep your fur baby happy and healthy during this festive holiday.
Hide the candy
We cannot stress enough how important it is to keep chocolates and other candies away from your pets. Chocolate ingestion can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate among other symptoms. Other types candy to be cautious of are candies that contains Xylitol (an artificial sweetener). Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which can lead to loss of coordination or seizures.
Proper ID is key
Proper identification is important year-round. Halloween is no different. If your kitty or pup get spooked and take off, they may get lost and not be able to find their way home. The best way to get a lost pet returned is by having some sort of ID on them. Forms of ID are:
*Rabies Tags
*Personalized Dog Tags
*Microchips (make sure your information is up-to-date with the microchip provider)
Say “No” to open flames
Instead of lighting a candle in your jack-o-lanterns, invest in flameless candles. Curious kittens and rowdy pups may burn themselves on the open flame. If you don’t want to opt for the flameless candles, make sure when you have candles burning to keep a close eye on your pets. If you leave the room, blow out the candles or take your fur baby with you.
Safe & stylish costumes
You find the PERFECT costume for Fluffy this year but it is a little too small. Do you still put it on your pet or do you find a different costume? Our suggestion is to find a costume that fits them perfectly. If a costume is too small, is may obstruct their breathing and mobility. When picking out a costume, make sure that there are no pieces that your pet could chew off/choke on. Masks can obstruct sight and breathing, so try to stay away from costumes that require one. Also, try to get Fluffy accustomed to wearing the costume before the big night. This will allow him to feel comfortable and happy for the big day.
Keep your pets inside
You may be asking why this is important. Halloween can bring out a lot of tricksters to your otherwise calm and friendly neighborhood. Unfortunately, not everyone will leave an outside pet alone to enjoy the holiday in peace. So, we recommend keeping your pets (especially black cats) inside for a few days leading up to Halloween and a few days after the holiday.
We want you and your entire family to be able to enjoy Halloween without an emergency trip to your veterinarian. If you fear your pet has ingested any candy, part of their costume, or any holiday decorations, please contact your veterinarian immediately to see if medical treatment is necessary. If your clinic is not open, call Pet Poison Control immediately at (855) 764–7661 or visit their website at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.