Halloween is a fun and festive time of year, but it can also bring unexpected hazards to our pets. Buckets of candy, flaming pumpkins, flickering candles, and spooky decorations can entice even the most well-behaved furry family members, so ensuring their safety while you enjoy the celebrations is important.
In this blog, we share tips on keeping pets safe during spooky season, how to secure costumes properly, and how to create a calm environment to reduce the stress some pets experience.
Halloween Safety Tips
Keep Candy Out of Reach: This sounds like a, ‘well of course’ but if you knew how many patients we see in the emergency room after ingesting a no-no, you might think otherwise. While delicious for humans, most Halloween treats are dangerous for pets, especially chocolate and sugar-free candy containing xylitol. Be sure your pet can’t access any candy and remind children not to share or leave their stash unattended.
Practice Costume Safety: Not all animals enjoy dressing up in costumes, even if they do look adorable. If your pet is okay a costume, make sure it’s comfortable, the fabric doesn’t restrict movement, and it’s free of small parts they can chew off and swallow.
Be Weather-Aware: If you’re bringing your pet out to trick-or-treat, make sure the weather is a comfortable temperature. Our pets rely on us to keep them safe, so if it’s too hot and humid to be outside, or a storm is brewing, it’s best to leave your pet home where they can relax in the air conditioning and perhaps greet trick-or-treaters at the door.
Avoid The Dark: To ensure your pets get exercise and drain some energy, go for walks in the morning or early afternoon. As it gets later in the day, the streets can become crowded with eager trick-or-treaters, unfamiliar costumes, and loud noises – all of which may frighten your pet and cause stress.
Decorate with Caution: Jack-o-lanterns with real candles, faux spiderwebs, and spooky jump-scare decorations can be a hazard for curious pets. Keep decorations out of reach to avoid burns, entanglement, electric shocks, or accidental ingestion.
Secure Doors: With the doorbell ringing non-stop and tiny hands knocking at the door for candy, there’s a chance your pet could dart outside. Consider keeping your pets in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat hours.
Creating a Calm Environment
Halloween can be particularly noisy with ringing doorbells and unfamiliar visitors in costume appearing over and over again at the door. The added commotion can make pets feel anxious and uneasy. To keep nerves at bay, provide a quiet, secure space where pets can retreat to and relax away from the excitement and noise. Don’t forget these essential things to ensure their safe space is well-equipped with distractions and comfort items.
- A few of their favorite toys
- Bed
- Clean, fresh water
- Food bowl
- Treats
If your pet gets particularly anxious around this time of year, it’s important to talk to your primary care veterinarian about anxiety medication well before the festivities begin. That way it will give you and your pet a chance to establish a routine that works best for them when the revelry begins.
We Are Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
If your pet does get into trouble on Halloween, our team of veterinary professionals is ready and available 24/7 to help. You don’t need to make an appointment to visit the animal emergency room. We always appreciate a call ahead so we can be prepared and ready for your arrival if possible. If you are ever worried about your pet, do not hesitate to bring them in. Along with our sister hospital Animal Emergency Hospital DeLand, we are dedicated to helping pets and their families. It’s why we’re here.
