What Treats & Tricks does Halloween mean for your animals?
For us humans, October means fall has finally arrived with beautiful leaf colors, crisp days and chilly nights. A welcome relief for us AND our animals after long hot or wet summers.
Dogs enjoy longer flea and tickfree walks. Cats seek out laps and warm fireplaces or heat registers. It's a time to settle into togetherness.
And then the spooky holiday is upon us. Here are my 9 important reminders to help your animals feel like it's all about treats and not tricks!
Safety First -- Prepare them for Halloween EARLY
Cats and dogs need to know that your FIRST priority is keeping them safe.
1) NO Pets Left Outside
Please do not leave pets outside on Halloween. Vicious pranksters or mean-spirited individuals have been known to tease, injure, steal, and even kill pets on Halloween night. This has been especially true for black cats.
If you have outdoor cats, keep them inside several days before and after Halloween to ensure their safety. If your neighborhood has "Mischief Night," the night before Halloween, DEFINITELY keep dogs and cats inside!
Remember, your cats and dogs can understand you when you visualize what you want for them (Not what you don't want). So, be sure to explain why you're keeping them in. Tell them, while you visualize, that you want them currled up safe and sound inside becasue there will be much unfamiliar activities going on. This will help them settle and accept staying indoors.
Putting your dog or cat in a secure room away from the front door or in their crate or kennel will help relieve their stress and also prevent them from escaping and getting lost.
2) Keep pets safely confined and away from the door. Your door bell will be ringing, the door will be constantly opening and closing, and strangers young and old, dressed in unusual costumes, will yell, "Trick or Treat". This, of course, is confusing and scary for our furry friends. Dogs may become anxious and growl or even bite innocent trick-or-treaters because they perceive them as threatening. In your dog's mind, he is protecting you and your home from very strange strangers!
3) Remember to put "Rescue Remedy" in the water bowl, starting October 28.
4) Keep Halloween plants such as pumpkins and corn out of reach. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, but they can induce gastrointestinal upset should your pets ingest them in large quantities. Cooked, mashed pumpkin can be a digestive aid, but raw pumpkin won't be helpful.
5) Don't keep lit pumpkins and candles around pets. Pets can easily knock over a lit pumpkin and cause a fire. Curious kittens run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames. Get the battery powered candles or festive tea lights. Added benefit: They won't drip wax, blow out or burn down to damage surfaces.
6) Keep wires and electric light cords out of reach. If chewed on, your pet might suffer cuts or burns, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock. This should be true of any day not just on holidays. Decorations, scary sound tracks, fog machines will also threaten your dogs and cats. If you MUST have these for the kids, perhaps sending your dog or cat to a familiar friend's peaceful house, or to Grandma's, would be best for them.
7) Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. Let's face it, dogs are going to be interested in some Halloween candies. If you have a puppy or "food hound," they will try to get a taste. Be sure you keep the bowl high up or in a cupboard. Never leave it unattended.
All forms of chocolate-especially baking or dark chocolate-can be dangerous, even lethal, for dogs and cats. My sister's puggle got into some chocolate candy. Karin spent $5000 in stomach pumping and other therapies before Kody was okay.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian, local emergency vet clinic or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Halloween candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also be poisonous to dogs. Lollipops and their sticks can be choking hazards and cause a painful obstruction or foreign body ingestion that may require surgery to remove. Candies wrapped in plastic and other types of wrapping can also lead to choking or cause an obstruction and upset stomach.
8) Pet Costumes I just read that Americans are projected to spend $380 MILLION on pet costumes this year! (Mostly because they want to post pics of their animals in costume on social media) Please resist the urge to dress up your pet. It might look cute to you, but in reality, it could be annoying, uncomfortable, and unsafe for your companion.
Ask yourself, is it respectful to your wise, loving companion to dress them in a costume? Many find it humiliating. They will tolerate it for your sake, but I invite you to think about why you would ask that of them. Additionally, pet costumes tend to be cheaply made in China with synthetic and plastic materials.
If I haven't talked you out of it, and you "must" dress up your pet for your sake, make sure the costume does not constrict their movement or hearing, or impede their ability to breathe, bark or meow. Never leave a pet unattended while wearing a costume. Small parts can become chewed and swallowed, leading to foreign body ingestion/blockage which can be life threatening. How is that worth the risk?
If your dog or cat really loves dressing up, how about something simple, like a special orange and black cotton collar or halloween-themed bandana?
9) ID your pets. Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can be a lifesaver, increasing the chances that he or she will be reunited with you.
Many of these safety essentials are courtesy of Kimberly Jackson of "A to Z Petcare" in Lafayette, CO. They were so excellent, I had to just copy and send them to you, with a few of my own additions, expressing the animal's points of view (as well as some of my own). Thank you, Kimberly!
Preparing now and observing these essentials will help two and four-footeds have a SAFE and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
With Love, Your Voice of Animals,
Kate
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