The Humane Society of the United States is reminding pet owners Halloween can be a scary season for our pets. Dogs and cats often are not used to the doorbell ringing non-stop, and are not used to costumed strangers.
“For your pet’s comfort and safety, the best thing that you can do is to make sure that they have a stress-free holiday,†according to Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk program for The Humane Society of the United States. “The noises, smells and people can be overwhelming for many pets on Halloween, so create a safe haven in one room of your home where he or she can quietly relax.â€
To help keep pets safe and happy this Halloween, The Humane Society recommends the following tips:
1. Keep your pets safely indoors, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities.
2. Make sure that all of your pets are wearing tags with current ID. Opening the door repeatedly for trick-or-treaters creates plenty of escape
opportunities.
3. Keep candy out of your pets’ reach. Chocolate and other ingredients can be toxic to them.
4. Most pets are happiest wearing nothing but their birthday suit, but if you do choose a costume for your pet, forgo masks and make sure costumes are comfortable and do not pose a risk for injury.
5. Decorations can be dangerous, so be sure to keep them safely away from pets. Candle flames can set fire to a pet’s fur. Hanging or dangling decorations can be an entanglement or choking hazard to some animals.
6. Use fake cobwebs sparingly, if at all. Pets can choke on fake cobwebs set up indoors. Outdoors, fake webs may be a hazard to birds and wildlife.
7. When going out trick-or-treating, leave your dog at home. Dogs can be easily excited by the Halloween commotion and a dog bite or lost dog will quickly end the evening’s fun.