Vampira & Devil Dog

Whether you’re a fan of Halloween or not, don’t forget to make it safe for your dogs and cats.

–Hide the candy. Don’t leave it lying around, wrapped or unwrapped. My dogs counter surf so if I had candy in the house, it would have to be moved to higher ground. Don’t tempt them. Chocolate and candy with xylitol is lethal. Foil wraps and lollipop sticks get stuck in the digestive track. If you do suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

–Jack-o-lanterns with candles and dogs or cats don’t mix. Pets can accidentally knock them over causing fires or suffer burnt paws and tails.

–If you own a cat and let it go outside (which I think is a dumb idea anyway as we live in coyote country), Halloween is a bad time of year for cats especially black cats. Keep the cats indoors a few days before and after October 31. Cruel people use Halloween as an excuse to be cruel to cats.

Pimp Daddy Greyhound

–Many of us think it’s cute to see our pets wearing costumes but if the dog is uncomfortable, don’t force it. If you put a mask on the dog, ensure they can see and breathe. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. There’s no such thing as forcing a cat to wear a costume.

–Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! If you open the door for candy munchkins, put the pets in another room with the TV on or behind a baby gate or ex-pen. Your pet may run out of the house, attack the candy bowl, or attack a scary looking kid waiting for his or her candy.

–Make sure your pet has I.D. tags and a collar with reflective tape on in case there’s a worse case scenario.

Here’s hoping all our four-legged friends have a safety and happy Halloween.

Princess Greyhound

(Vampira & Devil Dog is courtesy of the Burda Family who take Halloween very seriously. The greyhound photos were submitted by Cyndi Rennick.)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 25th, 2011 at 10:17 am and is filed under Animal News, Pet Health & Safety. Tags for this post: Halloween pet safety, pet safety Halloween, xylitol. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.