4 tips to keep your pet safe on Halloween
Keep your pet safe on Halloween! Halloween can be a festive and fun time for children and families. But for pets? Let’s face it, it can be a downright nightmare. Read our tips to make sure that your pet is safe and happy this Halloween.
Halloween is always a great excuse to eat chocolate and candy. Unfortunately it can be very dangerous for your pet.
- Chocolate: Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for cats and dogs. It contains a caffeine-like stimulant substance that when ingested by your pet can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, racing pulse, and seizures.
- candy lollies: It’s hard enough for a human to stop at just one piece of candy lollies, so imagine how difficult it is for a pet. Large ingestions of sugary, high-fat candy can lead to pancreatitis, which may not show up for two to four days after the pet ingests the candy.
- Raisins: Some well-intentioned neighbors try to provide healthier Halloween treats like raisins. And although they are fine for your children it can cause severe kidney damage to your pet.
- Wrappers: The candy itself isn’t the only threat. Ingestion of foil and cellophane wrappers can cause life-threatening bowel obstructions, which often require surgical intervention.
So make sure all candies and wrappers stay far out of reach of your pet and inform your children about the dangers.
- Opening and closing doors Doors be constantly opening and closing on Halloween and strangers will be dressed in unusual costumes yelling loudly for their candy. This, of course, is scary for our furry friends. Dogs may become anxious and growl at innocent trick-or-treaters or escape from your house. Putting your dog or cat in a secure room away from the front door will prevent them from going outside and not getting stressed.
- Microchip, collar and ID tags Make sure your pet is properly identified (microchip, collar and ID tag) in case s/he escapes through the open door while you’re distracted with trick-or-treaters;
Do you like to decorate your house to get into the spirit of the Halloween holiday? That is great but make sure that your pets stays safe as some of these decoration can be a treat for your them.
- Decoration materials like spiderwebs and little spiders Can lead to obstruction of your pet’s stomach and/or intestines if ingested, requiring an expensive surgical procedure to resolve.
- Pumpkins Can lead to digestive upset in bored, mischievous, or curious pets that eat them. This can lead to an emergency trip to the veterinarian, as well as a big mess to clean out of your carpets. Be sure to clean up your holiday pumpkins before they start rotting on your doorstep.
- Candles If you use real candles to light your jack-o-lanterns, be careful not to let your pets around them. Knocked over candles can cause burns to your pets, and they can lead to a house fire, as well. Try some safer, flameless options.
As adorable as they can be, Halloween costumes can pose a danger to your pet’s health
- You may love the costume, but does your pet? Always try first if your pet like to wear a costume, not all our pets like to be dressed up. If your pet does not want to wear the costume don’t force it.
- Make sure that the costume don’t harm your pet. If you choose to dress up your pet, make sure it fits properly and is comfortable. Pets can become overheated or tangled in tight-fitting costumes with strings, ties and belts. Difficulty in mobility can lead to bodily injury, including strangulation.
- Dye Don’t ever dye or apply coloring to a pet’s fur, even if the dye is labeled non-toxic to humans.
- Never leave a pet unattended while wearing a costume. Small (or large) parts of a costume can become chewed and ingested and can in turn potentially lead to foreign body ingestion which can be life threatening to your pet.
If your pet becomes sick or if you think it may have ingested something harmful, contact us immediately at (02) 9416 1300.