Tips for a Happy and Safe Howl-a-ween
Halloween is the spookiest time of the year and it can be pretty scary for our pets if we don’t take precautions to protect them. Here are some tips to prepare you and your dog for a safe Howl-a-ween.
Hide the Candy
There’s lots of candy around Halloween, but it’s not for our pups. It’s important to keep your candy stash far away from your dog and completely out-of-reach. Chocolate is toxic in any form and sugar free candies containing xylitol can be very dangerous. Candy wrappers can also cause problems, so be sure they get put in the trash. If your pet consumes any of these, please contact your veterinarian immediately or call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Halloween Decorations
It’s always fun to decorate for Halloween, but please be careful. Dogs might ingest decorations like multi-colored corn that can create serious problems. Pumpkins with candles are spooky but keep them out-of-reach of your dog. They might accidentally knock into the candle-lit pumpkin and that might cause burns or start a fire. So keep those decorations out-of-reach of your dogs and cats.
Costumes
Having our dog in a funny costume can be cute and entertaining, but if wearing a costume causes your dog undue stress, let them stay in their birthday suit. If your dog is amenable to wearing a costume, be sure it is not too restrictive to their movement and has no dangling or hanging pieces, beads or ribbons that they can swallow or cause them to choke.
Walking Your Dog on Halloween
Although the excitement of trick-or-treaters and their costumes is meant to be frightening, for your dog it can be very stressful, so it’s a good idea to take them for a walk before it gets dark. This way you can see everyone and you can spot candy that may have dropped in the street that could be attractive to your dog’s great sense of smell.
Halloween is a fun time of year but please keep your dogs safe.
Have a Happy Howl-a-ween everyone!
Check out this article on Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs
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