The Dark Side of Howl-o-ween!

Once again Halloween is near.

Most animal lovers and pet owners focus on the fun activities such as boo at the zoo or costuming their pets.

But Halloween has a dark side.

Danger lurks not only outside the home but also inside.

Here are some Halloween pet safety tips:

• Keep animals confined on Halloween. Seclude them safely in a room away from the door and distractions.
• Walk pets before dark to avoid any altercations with costumed characters.
• Vigorous exercise prior to any outings will burn off excess pet energy.
• House animals indoors (especially black ones) just before and during Halloween. This protects pets from pranksters who tease, injure, steal, or kill animals.
• Make sure pets are wearing current identification. Many pets get spooked and escape. Unfortunately they end up in shelters without identification.
• Keep pets away from costumed ghouls and goblins. Halloween bites are not uncommon. Even friendly animals may bite due to stress, fear, or protective aggression.
• Store and dispense candy so that it is not accessible to pets. Many treats are toxic and even lethal to pets.
• Avoid the liability that comes from dressing up your pet and sending the critter out trick-or-treating with kids…always have an adult supervise or keep the animal safely at home.
• Don’t dress up pets unless they love it. If you do dress them up make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe. Avoid restriction of movement, vision, hearing or the ability to breathe, vocalize, or eliminate.
• Costumes should not contain small dangling accessories that could be consumed by the pet or cause choking.
• Restrict your pet’s access to decorations. Jack o’ lanterns with candles are obvious fire hazards, but cats can also get tangled in streamers. Pets can also become ill from eating holiday decor.

Finally, you might have heard–“Don’t give your dog chocolate it will kill him.”

What do you do if your pet eats the Halloween chocolates?

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post and be sure to catch my previous Halloween pet series over at ArkAnimals.Com.