Halloween is right around the corner! While it is fun time of year for most us, it is a good idea to exercise caution with your pets too keep them safe and healthy during the festivities.
Here are 10 tips to keep this Halloween from haunting your pets:
1) No treats please! Chocolate and other candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be toxic to pets if ingested. If you suspect your pet may have gotten into some of the Halloween candy please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435
2) Watch out for candy wrappers. Cats love to play with wrappers and dogs love to eat them since they smell like food to them. Ingesting wrappers can cause intestinal blockage and induce vomiting in both dogs and cats
3) Don’t force the costume. There are few things cuter in this world than seeing our pets dressed up in little costumes. However, for some pets it’s an extremely stressful experience to be in clothes. If your pet doesn’t dig wearing his costume, don’t force it
4) If your pet does enjoy wearing a costume, be sure that it doesn’t inhibit their movement, hearing, site or ability to breathe. Also check for small pieces on costumes that pets may be able to ingest or accidentally choke on
5) With constant visitors at the door, it can be very stressful and overwhelming for most pets. All but the most social pets should be kept somewhere in the house away from all of the noise and activity
6) Be sure that you keep close watch at the door to be sure that your pet does not sneak through the open door while you’re passing out candy to trick-or-treaters
7) Collars and ID tags. All of your pets should have on a collar with proper identification tags. Accidents sometimes happen and if your pet were to accidentally slip through the door in all of the Halloween excitement, you’ll need to be sure that they can be returned home to you.
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