Halloween Safety Tips for Your Pets!
Trick or treat! Spooky Season is here which means that Halloween is just around the corner! As we decorate our homes and prepare for this fun holiday, keep in mind what could be hazardous for our furry friends. Here are some helpful pet safety tips for the Halloween season – leading up to and on the holiday!
Leading up to Halloween:
If your pet plans on wearing a costume, make sure it’s the best fit for them.
Make sure they can move freely – we don’t want to limit their movements, sight, hearing, or breathing. The costume could lead to dangerous situations! For example, if it has small parts, it could become a choking hazard, and if it is too long, it could cause your pet to trip and hurt themselves.
Do they like wearing clothes? Costumes may make your pet uncomfortable. If you know that your pet doesn’t like wearing clothes, you can snap a quick picture, then take it off to prevent any unnecessary stress and ensure their comfort.
Update your pet’s ID tag or microchip in case they get lost.
Frequently opening the door for trick-or-treaters increases the risk that your pet might dart outside and become lost. Before Halloween, make sure to update the information on their microchip or collar ID tag! Pets are about 30% more likely to be returned to their owners if they have identifying information on their ID tag or microchip. If your pet doesn’t have a microchip yet, stop by our weekend mobile clinics or check out our website for more information on our low cost microchipping!
If your pet has a microchip from Low Cost Pet Vet (or through our mobile clinics) and you would like to update or register your microchip information: visit mypethealth.com/start.
Keep electrical cords and wires out of the way.
Spook-tacular decorations may come with a lot of wires. Not only could this be a choking hazard, but pets may think that wires on the ground are a snack for them. If your pet chews on an electrical cord, they could get electrocuted, get cut, or get sick. So, just keep those off the ground and tucked away to minimize the worry!
Make sure your decorations are pet-safe!
We recommend placing decorations out of your pet’s reach to ensure their safety. If your decorations include a lot of small parts, your pet could choke on them! Also, while Jack-o-lanterns are a Halloween staple, they could pose serious risk to your pets. For example, if they have lit candles inside, they could get knocked over by your pet and start a fire.
Halloween Day:
Make sure your pet is in a secure place while opening the door for trick-or-treaters.
Keeping your pet away from the constantly opening door not only prevents them from getting lost, but it can help ease anxious animals. Especially if they don’t like loud noises, consider putting them in a quiet area of your house.
Keep the candy out of reach!
Halloween candy can be poisonous to our furry friends, so make sure to pick up dropped candy and keep your stash tucked away in a closed jar or a cabinet. If you want to learn more foods that are unsafe for dogs this fall, check out our article: 5 Foods that Dog Owners Need to Watch Out for During the Fall Season.
If your pet ingests something toxic, call the Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435.
That’s it! Keep these tips in mind to ensure the safety of your pet on Halloween. Tag @lowcostpetvet in your dog or cat’s Halloween pictures and we’ll repost our favorites!
Happy Howl-oween!