how to keep pets safe at halloween

My Top 10 Most Important Pet Safety Tips For Halloween!

Halloween is a fun time for most of us, as we all indulge in parties, sweets, dressing up and fun! However, your pet may see this celebration as a frightening time. Here are the top 10 tips that you need to know to keep your pets safe this Halloween! 

Keep pets away from the front door

Constant knocking on the door, with excited children shouting “Trick or treat?”, dressed up in costumes can be very scary for your pet. Keep them in a room to the back of the house, with the curtains closed and the door shut. Put the TV on at a higher volume to drown out noises from outside and keep them shut away if you do answer the door. Keeping them in another room will stop them from darting out the front door, and help them feel more secure.

If your pet is particularly nervous, you could consider putting a sign on the door asking people not to knock as you have a sensitive pet. If you still would like to join in on the Halloween fun, you could leave a bowl of sweets outside your door, with a note telling people to take one.

If your dog is particularly nervous around this time, you could try an Adaptil diffuser (US link) (they make collars too – here is a link for USA) which mimic the pheromones a mother dog releases for her puppies to help keep them calm. There is a cat version too called Feliway which works in the same way – again there are diffusers and sprays depending on what suits you best.

Another option is Pet Remedy (USA link) which uses natural scents to calm your animals and can be used for all animals. They make diffusers, wipes, sprays and atomisers.

Walk your dog earlier than normal

Again, excited kids in costumes, and making noise can be really scary for your dog. If you can, walk them earlier than normal so you won’t bump into any trick-or-treaters. Sweets and wrappers could be dropped and found by your dog, posing a health risk. Finally, walking them earlier means they will then be nice and tired before the Halloween celebrations begin.

Keep cats inside

Like dogs, cats can be startled by trick-or-treaters. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so give your cat a litter box, and keep him inside in a quiet room.

Keep candy away from your pets

Possibly one of the most important bits of advice for our pet safety tips for Halloween is surrounding all the delicious treats that surround the season because chocolate, especially dark chocolate is very harmful to dogs. Make sure all sweets are well out of the way for your animals so they stay safe. Sweet wrappers can also cause blockages in an animal’s digestive system, so make sure you put them in the bin. If you don’t want your pal to feel left out, getting them a special pet-safe snack for them to enjoy on the night will include them in the celebrations. Explain to children why they shouldn’t share their haul with the pets.

Keep pumpkins out of reach

Most Halloween pumpkins will be lit up with a candle, and a little nudge from your companion could start a fire and cause disaster. As for the vegetable itself, eating it can cause gastric upset and blockages, so it’s best to keep it out of the way.

One of the most often forgotten pet safety tips for Halloween – Make sure all pets are identifiable

Another top 10 pet safety tips for Halloween is to ensure your dog or cat is wearing an ID tag and that their microchip details are up to date. Should the worst happen and your dog or cat run off, you want to make sure you get them back so check this before Halloween. Read this blog on what to do if your pet goes missing. 

Keep your dog at home if you want to go trick or treating

Not everyone likes dogs (strange, right?) but you have to respect other people’s feelings, especially if you are knocking on their door. As already mentioned, the noise, costumes and volume of people may frighten your dog.

Be careful with costumes

If you want to dress your pet up for the evening, some dogs don’t mind wearing a spooky doggy jumper but others will hate it. As cute as it is if your animal really doesn’t like to dress up, don’t force them. If your dog doesn’t mind, supervise them at all times whilst they are in costume and check there are no hazards on the outfit that could be chewed off and harm them. Make sure it doesn’t restrict his vision, movement or breathing.

Some costumes are really over the top and will cause your pet to feel uncomfortable and restricted, and even if they don’t mind wearing something, don’t leave it on them for too long, as they could become too hot. Consider a Halloween-coloured bandana, rather than a full outfit if you want your pet to look spooky. It won’t restrict them, and most won’t realise they are wearing it. Even with this minimal outfit, you should still supervise your pet if you decide to put one on him.

halloween-dog-costume
My dog wore this for a photo, and then we took it off.

Keep decorations out of reach

Lights, creepy spider webs and plastic skeletons all pose a risk to your pet. Decorations that make noise could scare them and cause serious injury if ingested.

Keeping kids animal-safe on Halloween

If you are going out trick or treating with your kids, try to avoid houses with a barking dog or those where you see a dog behind a fence or screen door. If you do knock on a house with a dog, avoid the temptation to pet dogs you do not know. Teach your kids to stand still and “be a tree” (hands folded in front and look down to your feet). Wait for the owner to move their dog inside, and shut the door before you turn away. Even if it’s a dog you know, never approach them. He may not recognise you in your costume, so it’s always best to avoid dogs on Halloween.

I hope these pet safety tips for Halloween help you have a spooktacular time! Stay safe, keep your pets comfortable, and have a very Happy Halloween!

If your pet is scared of Fireworks, have a look at these tips to keep them as stress-free as possible. 

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pet safety tips for halloween

1 thought on “My Top 10 Most Important Pet Safety Tips For Halloween!”

  1. Sarah Cockerill

    Great information I’m dreading fireworks as mine hate them hide or just scream bark at them wish they’d be only big events not random gardens

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