Six Top Halloween Safety Tips For Pets

As you carve your special jack-o-lantern, fill your home with the aroma of roasting pumpkin seeds and, of course, wait for trick-or-treaters to ring your doorbell this Halloween (and perhaps even do some trick-or-treating yourself), your furry family members will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about.

So while you’re enjoying the Halloween festivities, it’s important to take some simple precautions to keep your pets safe and sound. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has compiled six commonsense cautions to help you do just that.

1. Keep Your Pets Away From the Candy Bowl

Chocolate candies contain stimulants called methylxanthines, which can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, leading to symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate and even seizures.

The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to pets. So white chocolate has the lowest methylxanthine content while dark or bittersweet chocolate, such as baking chocolate, has the highest. It takes just 20 ounces of milk chocolate or 2 ounces of baking chocolate to seriously harm a 10-pound dog.

Aside from chocolate, other treats in the candy bowl that can harm your pet are those that contain the artificial sweetener xylitol. Even small amounts of this substance, which is common in gum and sugar-free candies, can cause a sudden drop of blood pressure in your dog, leading to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. Liver failure can also occur.

Finally, even if the candy itself turns out to be non-toxic, the wrappers and foil the treats come in can cause choking or intestinal blockages in pets. So keep the treats stowed safely away for only the human trick-or-treaters!

2. Be Smart With Your Holiday Decorations

Pumpkins, decorative corn, gourds and other festive accents you place around your home are considered relatively non-toxic for pets. However, they can cause gastrointestinal upset and even intestinal blockages if large pieces are swallowed. So if your pet has a tendency to nibble on items around your home, be sure to keep them out of his reach.

3. Keep Electrical Cords and Lights Out of Your Pet’s Reach

Festive Halloween lights and other electric decorations are great fun, but if your pet chews the wires he could receive a life-threatening electrical shock or damage to his mouth from shattered glass or plastic. So keep all electrical decorations, including wires and cords, safely out of your pet’s reach.

4. Use Caution if You Will be Lighting Your Jack-o-Lantern

Will you be adding a candle to your carved pumpkin to give it an eerie, or warm, glow? Keep in mind that pets can easily knock over a pumpkin, which could cause a fire if there’s a lit candle inside. Curious kitties are also notorious for getting singed on candle flames.

So if you’ll be using a candle, keep the pumpkin well out of your pet’s reach. You can also opt for battery-powered safety lights made for pumpkins instead of a real candle.

5. Make Sure Your Pet Actually Likes Wearing a Costume

If you’re planning to dress up your cat or dog, make sure he actually enjoys wearing the costume. Some pets really do like playing dress up, but for others it causes unnecessary stress. So if your pet seems annoyed, scared or stressed while in costume, it’s better to let him stay in his “birthday suit.” A festive bandana or collar is a good compromise.

If your pet will be wearing a costume, make sure it does not restrict his movement or hearing or hamper his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also check for loose or dangling pieces that could easily be chewed off (and choked on) or get tangled or caught on other objects.

6. Unless Your Pet is a Social Butterfly, Keep Him Away From Trick-or-Treaters

Halloween night brings a lot of activity and strangers to your door, so during peak trick-or-treating hours you may want to keep your dog or cat in a separate room away from the front door. All those new people can be stressful and scary for all but the most social pets.

Is Your Pet a Scaredy Cat (or Scaredy Dog)? Calm Their Nerves With Chill-Out and Cat Nap

Halloween night is full of scares and frights and things that go bump in the night! If all the activity and trick-or-treaters at your door make your dog or cat a nervous wreck, you can soothe their nerves naturally with Chill-Out and Cat Nap.

Chill-Out, a natural calming spray for dogs, is a powerful blend of chamomile, lavender and sweet marjoram is highly effective in taking the edge off of trying times, and for all around stress relief.

Cat Nap, a natural calming mist for cats, uses the calming influence of lavender and chamomile hydrosals to soothe and quiet even the most agitated feline.

Learn More Now! You will also want to be careful that your pet doesn’t dart out the front door when you open it for trick-or-treaters. For this reason, be sure your pet is wearing a collar with ID tags just in case he gets loose.

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At GreenerWiener.com our mission is simple: to provide natural pet products that promote wellness for dogs and cats. Our inspiration is our own pet family (four mini dachshunds and three cats) along with our own desire to live a greener life. Because we understand how much your pets mean to you, we started this site — to share knowledge about the nutrition and care that can give your pet the longest, healthiest, and happiest life possible. Please do stop by and say hello. We love to hear from you and your pets!

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