Have a Fear-Free Halloween for your Pet

Have a Fear-Free Halloween for your Pet

               Halloween is a fun holiday for most of us, but, for our pets, people in spooky costumes, strangers at the door and the temptation of the contents of those trick-or-treat bags could cause our fur babies to have a frightening rather than fun experience.  Here are some tips to keep Halloween fear-free.

               Obviously, costumes are a mainstay of Halloween fun.  But masks and makeup that change our appearance may stress our pets, and, while we find it fun to dress our pets in costume, not all cats and dogs enjoy wearing hats or clothing.  If your dressed-up pet looks stressed, remove the costume or look for something simple like a Halloween-themed bandana or collar.  Don’t taunt pets who seem scared of kids or adults in costume and don’t take pets trick-or-treating unless they are chill and truly enjoy walking the neighborhood.

               Trick-or-Treaters visiting your home may also cause drama with doorbells ringing and doors opening to hand out treats.  Again, consider crating your pet or keeping her in another room during Trick-or Treat time to prevent her from darting outside.  Alternatively, you could place candy on the porch with a sign to take a piece rather than ring the doorbell.

               We all know chocolate is off limits for pets, but be cautious of other treats, too.  Sugar free candy and gum containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be toxic to pets.  Also, candy wrappers could become lodged in the intestinal tract causing an obstruction if enough of them are ingested.  Make sure pets cannot raid those hard-earned candies—keep trick-or-treat bags out of reach.

               Make sure pets cannot knock over Jack-O-Lanterns containing candles and that pets do not try to eat carved pumpkins which can sometimes become moldy or may have been treated with bleach to extend their lifespans.

               If your pet is super stressed by Halloween festivities, there are a variety of supplements, pheromones and medications that may help keep your pet calm.  Feliway spray for cats and Adaptil for dogs are species specific pheromones (chemical signals) that can calm stressed pets.  Mild anti-anxiety medications such as trazodone can also keep fearful pets calm on All Hallows Eve as well as during other stressful events. 

               Talk to our vets if your panicky pooch or scaredy cat needs help in having a safe and fear-free Halloween to see what options might be right.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

               This blog brought to you by the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding communities.

https://www.drmartybecker.com/fear-free/fear-free-halloween/