Halloween Safety Tips For Dogs

Halloween may be fun for children and families but for dogs, it can be traumatic. Minimize the stress and keep your dog healthy and happy throughout the festivities by following these tips.

1. Keep the candy bowl out of reach.

Certain Halloween treats can be toxic to your furry family members. All forms of chocolate, especially dark and baking chocolate, can be extremely dangerous, even fatal for your dog. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include diarrhea, vomiting, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. Xylitol, the artificial sweetener can also be poisonous to dogs. Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar resulting in loss of coordination and seizures. It can also cause liver failure in dogs, even if they don’t exhibit symptoms related to low blood sugar. If your dog has eaten something toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA POISON CONTROL CENTER at (888) 426-4435 immediately.

2. Don’t leave your dog in the yard on Halloween.

Unfortunately, cruel pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal, and even kill pets on Mischief night and Halloween night.

3. Keep your dogs away from the front door.

The constant ringing of the doorbell and strangers dressed in costumes can be scary for your furry friend. This can cause unanticipated aggression or attempts to escape. It is best to keep your dog in a safe comforting room away from the front door. Be sure your dog is wearing updated ID in case he or she escapes.

4. Keep wires and decorations out of reach.

A lit jack-o-lantern can easily be knocked over by your dog and burn him or her, or start a fire. Decorative pumpkins and corn are considered relatively nontoxic, but can produce intestinal discomfort in pets who eat them – thinking they’ve discovered a new treat. If the pumpkin or corn is moldy, it could potentially cause neurological problems in your dog. And, for those dogs who chew on wires, we don’t want them to receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock or burn.

5. Dogs and costumes.

Unless your furry friend loves wearing a costume, consider a holiday bandana instead. If you do dress your dog in a costume, make sure the costume doesn’t limit his or her movement, sight, ability to breathe, or bark. Make sure the costume doesn’t have any small, dangling or easily chewed off pieces that cause a choking hazard. A costume that doesn’t fit correctly can get twisted or caught on objects, leading to injure. Introduce your dog to their costume prior to Halloween. Let you pup get accustomed to walking around the house in the costume.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Have fun and stay safe!