With Halloween night quickly approaching, it’s a great time to chat about some Trick-or-Treat safety tips for pets.
Keeping your dog or cat safe this Halloween season is simple; you just need to put a few precautions into place and when you do, you will ensure that your pet has a safe and happy Halloween which is, of course, what every pet parent wants.
Here is how you can get started keeping your furry friends safe this Halloween season.
7 Halloween Safety Tips for Pets
1. Don’t push your pet’s comfort level. If you know she doesn’t like masks or costumes, don’t allow visitors to wear them into your home. If you know that strangers coming to the house stresses your pet out, make sure she is secured in a safe and quiet area on Trick-or-Treat night. Don’t put her in a situation where she might become scared or agitated.
2. Keep pets in a safe place during Trick-or-Treating. As mentioned above, your pet may require a safe and quiet space if you plan on opening your door to little beggars on Halloween night. You don’t want to risk your pet making a run for it through an open door, or for excited kids to scare them. Both can cause dangers to both your pets and your visitors, so play it safe and secure pets in a safe area.
3. Keep all candy away from pets. Chocolate isn’t the only candy that’s dangerous for pets. Those containing Xylitol are also toxic to pets, so it’s important to keep all candy away from both dogs and cats. Play it safe and make sure that all candy and other Halloween treats are kept out of your pet’s reach.
4. Leash your dog during Trick-or-Treating. Personally, I recommend leaving your dog at home on Trick-or-Treat night, but if you insist on taking her with you, be sure she is securely leashed.
There will be many sights and sounds that can frighten an otherwise well-behaved dog, and you don’t want to take any chances of her getting away from you.
Again, my best advice here is to simply leave pets at home where they are safe, secure, and won’t be frightened or agitated.
5. Don’t dress up your pet unless she’s familiar with it. Halloween costumes for pets are cute, sure, but not all dogs and cats like wearing them. If your pet is resistant to wearing a costume, don’t force it.
If you do succeed in getting your dog or cat to wear a costume, make sure the materials are comfortable and safe for pets. Check out a few of my favorites costumes for dogs here!
6. Keep your costume accessories away from pets. Puppies and kittens are especially interested in fun Halloween accessories like fuzzy wigs, fake jewelry, and other costume accessories. Be sure these items are kept away from pets to prevent a choking or strangulation hazard.
7. Throw away all candy wrappers promptly. After you dive into your candy haul, be sure all wrappers are thrown away out of your pet’s reach. Curious dogs and cats would love to explore them and they can pose a hazard. Place all trash in a receptacle that is pet-proof. Don’t take chances!
How About a Freebie?
To get your home all festive for Halloween, check out this super cute printable wall decor!
To download your freebie, just click here. Save the file to your desktop, then print it off and put it in a pretty frame! Voila, instant Halloween decoration for your home!
Keeping your furry family members safe is a breeze when you follow these 7 Halloween safety tips. Do you have other tips to help keep pets safe? Share them in a comment below!
Great tips! With all the excitement it’s easy to forget that this stuff is weird and a bit scary for the dogs!
Great article!
Thanks for the tips!