Halloween Safety Tips
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
Attention, pet parents! Here are the ASPCA’s common-sense precautions to ensure that both you and your furry friends will have a safe and happy Halloween.
1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy.
• Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.
• Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.
• Ingesting tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.
2. If you want to dress your pet in a costume, be sure it’s safe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behavior, consider letting him go in his birthday suit or dress him up with a festive bandana. Take a close look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on.
3. Keep your pets indoors on Halloween (especially black cats), or securely contained in a fenced yard. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.
4. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside. Be sure each pet is wearing an ID, just in case! If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip is the only way to increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.
