Halloween Safety Tips for Pets

Halloween Safety Tips for Pets

Halloween can be a fun and tasty holiday for people—but not so much for our pets. Constantly opening the door for trick-or-treaters, unusual costumes and noises can often put animals on edge. Here are some ideas for keeping your cat or dog safe and serene on Halloween.

When expecting trick -or-treaters or party guests, put your dog or cat in a quiet place away from the door. This will help prevent them from getting worked up.

If you’re putting your pet in costume, make sure they feel comfortable in it before taking them out. If the costume has bells, noisemakers or strings they can scare your pet or pose a choking hazard.

Keep your pet indoors on Halloween night! This is especially important for black cats, who can be targeted during the holiday. Also, make sure your pets are microchipped or have a collar with current identification in case they get scared and run off.

Keep Candy Out of Paw’s Reach!

Halloween marks the beginning of the holiday candy season and it’s important this time of year to keep bowls and bags of candy far out of reach. Plus, kids should also be reminded not to feed candy to pets.

Chocolate is extremely dangerous to both dogs and cats and can cause nausea, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, pancreatitis, seizures and even death., depending on how much is eaten and the size of your pet.

The toxic substance in chocolate is theobromine, and it is present in all chocolate, even the white kind. As a rule, the darker the chocolate, the more theobromine present, with the most dangerous being unsweetened baking chocolate.

But it’s not just chocolate to watch out for: sugar-free candy, gum and peanut butter often contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that can be deadly to our pets as well.

If you would like to get your pet microchipped schedule an appointment with us today! If you think your pet may have eaten something toxic, don’t hesitate to call us at 417-739-4090 or the ASPCA Poison Control Center immediately.