From princesses to witches, and superheroes to ninjas - Halloween can be fun for the entire family but remember to think about your fur babies as well.
These 7 tips will help keep your pets safe during Halloween festivities.
1. Be sure to walk your dog before the trick or treating activities start. Keep a firm grip on your dog’s leash and be aware that some pets can become freighted by the costumes.
2. Keep dogs and cats inside on Halloween night. Dogs can become territorial, bark or even howl at the activity happening outside the yard by trick or treaters. There have even been reports of pranksters terrorizing or aggravating pets.
3. Keep pets away from the door. If your pet does have access to the door it is a good idea to place a dog gate in front of the door to keep them from darting out while trick or treaters are visiting.
4. Dogs can become anxious or overly excited at the constant activity of trick or treaters knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell. To eliminate that from happening, consider keeping your dogs in a quiet room or securely placed in their crate to keep them calm and relaxed.
5. Keep candy and wrappers, especially chocolate, out of your pet’s reach. If your pet does consume chocolate contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian immediately.
6. If you do venture out to take your own children trick or treating don’t leave your dogs in the car.
7. Make sure your pets are properly identified with your current contact information in case they do manage to break loose and become lost during Halloween. Microchips offer the most secure form of identification, but tags with your pet’s name and your phone number are also important. Snapping a recent photo of your pet will also come in handy if for some reason your pet does get lost.