Halloween is upon us again and many pet owners are now dressing up their pets and decorating their homes for Halloween. In this blog, we will deal with the safety issues this can pose and how to have a pet friendly Halloween celebration. There is also a blog on how to help your pet should he/she suffer from noise sensitivity which can be viewed here.
1: Keep pets indoors during the Halloween period as loud noises such as bangers or fireworks may scare and frighten them.
2: Keeping your pet in a separate room away from the front door while trick-or-treaters are calling will reduce the chance of your pet running out and will also help keep them relaxed as the noise of increased knocking on the door and the presence of so many strangers can cause more unnecessary stress on the animal.
3: It is also important to remember to keep all sweets for trick-or-treaters out of reach of pets. Ingesting chocolate and other sweets can make your pet very sick, and the wrappers can pose a choking hazard.
4: Ensure wires from lights and decorations are not within your pets reach to avoid any injury from chewing or swallowing pieces of plastic or shock from electrical wires.
5: Be extra vigilant if you choose to light candles as pets could get burned or singed from the flame if they get too close, or might knock it over and cause a fire.
6: Dressing-up is all part of the fun of Halloween and if you decide to put a costume on your pet please ensure that it is safe. Check that the animal can still move, see, hear and breathe properly and that there are no strings or attachments that could get caught on something or that your pet could chew off.
Never leave the animal unattended while dressed up and check the costume regularly to make sure it hasn’t become twisted or is inhibiting your pet in any way. Remove the costume if the animal appears agitated or unhappy to avoid causing any undue stress.
7: We would also advise that you microchip your pet if you have not already done so, as this will increase the chance of them being returned to you should they run out when trick-or-treaters call.
If you are worried about your pet or know that they will be extremely nervous and tense around Halloween, the vet can help by prescribing some treatment to keep them calm. For more information please phone City Vet on 061-419760 or e-mail offers@cityvet.ie and we will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.