7 Tips For Keeping Your Pets Safe On Halloween

Halloween is a great time for kids of all ages to dress up as the character they would most like to be and ring doorbells for treats.

But the holiday isn’t always fun for pets. They may become overly excited by the continually ringing doorbell, and anxious because the visitors aren’t coming inside. Friendly dogs may want to greet every visitor, frightening children who aren’t used to dogs, and cats may sneak out the door when you’re not looking.

As a responsible pet owner, you can take action to maintain a fun Halloween for your pets and trick-or-treaters who may be at your door. Here are seven things you can do to keep your pet safe on Halloween:

1. Provide safe treats

Many pet stores are selling treats with Halloween shapes if you’d like to have your pet join in the fun, but make sure whatever you give your pet is safe to eat. This means no chocolate or other candies, which can be toxic to pets.

These items put your pet at high risk:

• Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance that can be toxic to your pet.
• Sticks on caramel apples can be swallowed and cause choking or damage to internal organs.
• Candy can upset the stomach, resulting in diarrhea or vomiting.
• Packaging can cause choking or an intestinal blockage.
• Foil wrappers can become as dangerous as razors when swallowed.

Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, but they can produce stomach upset in pets who nibble on them.

If you suspect that your pet has eaten something toxic, call your vet or Animal Poison Control at 888-426-4435.

Be careful where you store the candy before and after Halloween. My 80-pound Irish wolfhound mix ate three bags of dark chocolates, which I thought I had put up high enough on the counter, out of his reach. The dog got violently sick to his stomach, but recovered. A smaller dog might not have survived. And, no, I didn’t have pet insurance to cover the vet bills.

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