Making Your Halloween Stress Free on Your Dog
October 24, 2009 by Paris and John
Filed under Halloween, Holidays & Your Dog, Tips
Between scary costumes and kids screaming “trick or treat,” Halloween can seem like anything but a treat to pets–but there are ways to keep your dog’s stress level down. Today we’ve got some simple tips from Dr. Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM from VCA Animal Hospitals to keep pets safe and stress-free on Halloween:
- Make sure your dog’s costume is comfortable and doesn’t obstruct vision, hearing, or restrict movement. Avoid tying anything around your pet’s neck to prevent choking or strangling. Remove small parts or pieces that may be easily chewed off and swallowed.
- Although tempting, do not bring your dog along for trick-or-treating. Even the best-trained dogs can become spooked or aggressive in the noise and confusion of Halloween. Children you encounter may also be fearful of dogs.
- Keep your dog in a room separate from the trick-or-treaters. This will prevent them from becoming frightened and threatened by noisy children in costumes. Too many strangers can overwhelm a pet and cause them to be unusually protective or aggressive.
- If you haven’t done so already, visit your VCA veterinarian for a microchip prior to the festivities of Halloween. If your dog does escape from the house or becomes lost, a microchip will increase the chances that they will be returned home again. Also make sure your pet is wearing a collar with proper ID tags.
- Avoid hazardous decorations such as flaming jack-o-lanterns and candles which can burn your pet. Don’t use streamers or ribbons around your pet’s neck, on their collars or costumes or in your home. These items are frequently ingested and may cause intestinal obstruction which requires surgery to remove.
- Keep Halloween candy out of pet’s reach! Chocolate is toxic to pets and many candies can be harmful and make pet’s sick. Also avoid giving your dog alcohol or any rich fatty foods. Keep all countertops clean and a lid firmly locked onto the garbage can to prevent them from eating wrappers and food packages.
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