Shaw Veterinary Clinic offers the following thoughts for keeping your animals safe during the Halloween activities.
- Don’t leave harmful objects in your dog’s reach.
- Put away candy foil wraps, electric cords, and keep Halloween displays beyond your pet’s reach. While the shiny candy wraps can cause various intestinal problems, electrical cords, when chewed on, can deliver fatal electric shock.
- Displays like Jack O’ Lanterns and candles also have to be kept in a safe place as knocking them over can burn your curious pooch and start fire.·
- Don’t let “scary” visitors and mischievous people approach your dog. Some pets can get frightened by those spooky costumes and crowds of people. If scared, your pup may try to flee or bite an innocent trick-or-treater. Plus, the fear is stressful to your pet.
- To avoid unnecessarily scaring your dog, put him in a secure room during trick-or-treat hours.
- If you have a dog that goes berserk every time the doorbell rings, you might consider either disabling the bell or sitting outside to hand out treats.
- Also, remember to safeguard your pet from thieves. It’s not uncommon for pets to be stolen from backyards on Halloween.·
- Don’t leave your pet wearing his costume unsupervised. Your pup may pull his new outfit off, knock things over, eat it, or worse, get tangled and choke on it. Always look after him while he’s still dressed up for the night.
Double-checking to ensure the environment is safer during a time that might stress your animals should result in a more relaxed night for all.
