There isn’t a whole lot that is more important to us than our pets and besides preparing ourselves for Halloween we need to prepare our pets too! With strangers in costumes coming to your home, one after another, can cause your pets additional stress on top of all the unusual commotion. Below are a few things you can do to make sure you pet is safe and a little less stressed out this halloween;
- Keep Your Pets Safe Inside
When greeting the trick-or-treaters at the door, be careful your pet doesn’t rush past as soon as the door opens. As sweet as they are and as much as we love them, keeping your pets inside and away from the front door is the safest place for them. Halloween night can be scary for your pets, especially if they are uncomfortable with new people and loud noises. Halloween is filled with kids coming to the door, running in the street, yelling in excitement and your pet is likely to become very stressed and experience a sensory overload. This is why it is important to keep your pets in a safe place, keeping away from exterior doors.
2. Treats
As a pet owner, you are probably already aware that chocolate is very poisonous to a lot of animals but what you may not know is so is xylitol. Xylitol can be found in gum and many other sugar-free products. It is important to always keep candies away from your pets and if you have children, make sure they understand to keep their treats out of reach of your pets. As well as the candy itself, the foil and cellophane that it is wrapped in is also very hazardous if swallowed causing possible obstructions. So be mindful, whether you have children or you have some leftover candy from the trick-or-treaters, keep them away and out of reach of your fur babies!
3. Costumes
Like many do, if you decide to dress your pets in costumes, there are a few things you should make sure to do and consider beforehand.. First, if you decide to dress your pet up, take into consideration your pet’s personality and what type of costume they may tolerate and for how long. For example, masks and hats that fit around the face may be ok long enough to get a quick picture but if left on too long, they can pose dangers and make your pet feel uncomfortable. You should make sure the costume you dress them in isn’t annoying to them or irritating their fur/skin. You should also be mindful of any choking hazards on the costumes that they could bite off the costume. Secondly you should make sure, above all else, that they are not being stressed out by having the costume on, it isn’t obstructing their breathing or vision, and they are not going to overheat with it on. Signs of discomfort can include folded down ears, eyes rolling back or looking sideways, a tucked tail or hunching over. If your pet appears uncomfortable, take off the costume.
