Tricks and treats: tips for a fun, safe Halloween with your pet FAMILY

While Halloween may be an exciting time for you and your family — costumes, candy, carving — it can be frightening for your Pets.

From ringing doorbells to monster masks, these new sights and sounds can create anxiety for pets. However, when you follow some simple suggestions, you can give your pet a fear-free home to enjoy this Halloween.

Costumes
Some pets enjoy dressing up, but for others, it may be scary. Your pet’s welfare an safety must be the top priority.

If you want to put a Halloween costume on your pet, do a trial run before Oct. 31. Let them sniff and investigate before slowly dressing them. Give them treats during this “dress rehearsal” to create a positive association with the costume.

If your pet seems scared (tail tucked, ears back, trembling, whimpering, growling, pulling to get away, etc.), immediately stop and remove the costume. Pets should always be supervised when they are wearing costumes, as the costume itself could be a hazard if they chew/ingest parts of it or get tangled up in it.

Candy station option
If you’re feeling something different this year, take your treats from the home to the car. To reduce pet stress, cut down on doorbells, knocks, and strangers on your porch by setting up a Halloween candy station in the trunk of your car so kids and visitors stop there instead of creating chaos for your pet.

Plus, you can have fun with it and decorate your driveway with spooky spectacles for neighbors to enjoy.

Safe place
If your pet is normally a 7 on the skittish scale, Halloween will put them at a 15.
From scary sights and sounds to creepy costumes, it may be best to give your pet a safe space this Halloween. Set up a comfortable area in your house away from the goings on with their bed, favorite toys, a blanket, an article of your clothing and some treats. MyLap Pet Bed has helped many pets keep a calmer state of mind as it incorporates an article of your clothing that has your scent attached. These safe things and places will help them feel at ease.

Save the scares and pranks for your friends
When it comes to the Halloween spirit, harmless pranks and scares are all part of the fun, but not for the pets.  Pet just do not comprehend pranks. 

If you’re planning on wearing a scary costume, mask or have spooky decorations, make sure you introduce them to your pet well in advance to get them used to your new look and what’s hiding around the corner.

To help, you can give them treats dressed in your Halloween attire, so they associate the costume with a reward.

Darting out the door
One of the greatest risks at Halloween is having a pet dart outside when you answer the door. Leashes, creates or pre-segregation in a room can help prevent a heartbreaking loss.

Candy care
As you prepare for trick-or-treaters, make sure you keep candy away from curious pets.
Year after year, veterinary emergency clinics are filled with pets that have eaten Halloween candy.  Upset bellies, diarrhea, and vomiting are common after a candy binge.

Some candy, like chocolate or those containing the sweetener xylitol, can be highly toxic to pets.

Editors Note: Some parts of this was researched and referenced from the following article:
Tricks And Treats: Bite-sized Tips For A Fun, Safe ... (n.d.). Retrieved from enewscourier.com-news-lifestyles/tricks-and-treats-bite-sized-tips-f

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