Halloween Safety Tips for your Pets

Be cautious of the treats you provide.

All kinds of chocolates - especially dark chocolate - can be dangerous for your pets! So, trick-or-treat treats should be totally off limits and be kept in a place where they can't reach it.

Chocolate poisoning will make your dog vomit, have diarrhea, breathe faster, and have seizures. Even small amounts of chocolate intake can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and will cause liver failure. Prevent this from happening by making sure your furry friends can't help themselves to these treats, as we all know they sometimes are guilty of doing so!

Never leave your pets out in the backyard.

Creepy creatures are everywhere! Literally. And so are the vicious pranksters. These people are known to injure, tease, steal and sadly, kill pets. Make sure your pets are house safely indoors around Halloween.

Keep moldy Halloween pumpkins/plants out of reach.

Though these can be fed safely to pets when cooked, allowing your pet to ingest uncooked moldy Halloween pumpkins or corn displays can spark trouble. Especially when your pets are not used to eating these things, it can cause intestinal blockage and the mold (if ingested) can cause neurological problems.

Don't dress your pet in a costume unless they're comfortable wearing it.

I know you want to include your pets in whatever Halloween activities you're planning at home. And if you've decided to dress up your dog or your cat, you must take so many things into consideration. The costumes your furry friends should be wearing must not restrict eyesight, hearing, movement and the ability to breathe, poop or pee.

If you notice that your pet is not comfortable in wearing the costume, take it off. Halloween should be a positive experience for your pet, and you should not be forcing them to wear something they don't like.

Update IDs.

With the number of constant trick-or-treaters that will be visiting your doorstep, it can be possible that your pet will try to escape and get lost. If worse comes to worst, updated identification tags or pet microchips will greatly help in increasing the chances of your pet being found. And the way avoid this from happening is to...

Keep your pets confined and away from the door. At all times!

Putting your pet in a secure crate or room away from the front door will lessen their stress and prevent them from any possible escape into the night.

Diapers and pee pads.

Your pet will be stressed and excited about Halloween. And too much stress or excitement can make them pee or poop in places they shouldn't be. To avoid having to face the scary clean-up of a crazy mess, allow your pet to wear diapers or you can leave pee pads on their confinement area. This will alleviate and help them with their need to pee every time the doorbell rings.

Wishing you and your pets a safe and fun HALLOWEEN from all of us at Pet Parents®!