With the spookiest night of the year around the corner, pet parents need to be careful in guarding and comforting their furry children. As there will be a flood of people guised in scary outfits and ready for ‘tricks or treats’, there are chances that your pet may get annoyed. Your frightened pet may feel uneasy on this Halloween so take some extra measures to keep your pet safe and healthy. It’s time to make sure that the cutest soul in your family feels happy on the ‘All Souls Day’.
Halloween Day Tips for your Pet
There are various factors to consider for the safety of pets during Halloween. The aspects that need special attention are your four-legged friend’s health, safety and comfort. Let us check them all in detail.
Pet Health: Your pet’s health can be greatly affected by the food and decorations during the All Hallows eve. Take care of the following to keep your pet healthy on this day.
- First of all Halloween celebrations include lot of sweets, candies, chocolates, pumpkins and other stuff. Not all these may be healthy for your pet. Your ‘every ready for munching’ pet should be refrained from chocolates especially the dark ones. Even candies containing sweeteners like xylitol are toxic for your pet.
- Halloween decorative food like pumpkin and corn are non-toxic in nature but they cause gastrointestinal upsets in pets. So, just keep your pet away from these foods. Decorative candles and electric lights that can be chewed should be kept away from the pet to avoid any unwelcome incidents of poisoning.
- Contact your nearest poison control center if you suspect that the pet has ingested something that he should not. Signs of food poisoning in pets are vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, stressful defecation, excessive salivation, abnormal thirst and in worst cases seizures. Keep the contact number of nearest poison control center as a mark of safety.
Pet Safety: Your pets are not safe during this time largely because of the mindless pranks played by people as well as loopholes in your decorations. Consider the following to prevent any unsafe situation.
- Arrange all the decorative stuff including pumpkin and electric lights in a manner that they do not come in direct contact with the pet. The reason is that pets may get accidental shocks or nibble on these things. Both are hazardous and may prove life threatening. So, make sure you decorate your house keeping your pet’s reach in mind.
- Do not keep the pet near the doors. There would be many strangers entering your place and the open door would be the best escape for your pet. A scared pet may run out of the place. The best way is to keep your pet in a separate closed room in the peak hours of trick or treat. Leash and ID are a must to stop the pets from running away or to track them if they escape.
- Few notorious groups may harm innocent animals running on the streets. If your pet is left open in the garden then there are chances that your pet may fall a prey to them. For this it is ideal to keep your pet locked in a room or should be under your supervision till the end of the festival.
Stress: With new people barging the door, loud noises and vivid costumes the situation may prove stressful for your pet.
- Your furry kid may not enjoy his costume or noises from all around the place. If he is not comfortable wearing the Halloween dress then, do not dress him up. You can take dress trial on the previous day to check whether he is comfortable in it or not.
- A pool of people shouting in loud voices and dressed up in bizarre dresses can be stressful for your pet. He may feel threatened and become restless. If he is not a social chap then it is better to keep him in a separate room. So, keep your pet under guards unless you plan a quiet and prayerful Halloween.
These simple tips will help any and every pet parent on the special day of remembering the dead and sacred ones. It is important to celebrate the Halloween but your pets should also enjoy the soulful day. Just a little extra care from your side can make this Halloween a best ever time for you and your pet. All the Best!