LETTER: Tips for keeping your pet safe on Halloween

From Dr. Janel Reiter
Hutchinson Pet Hospital

Halloween can be a festive and fun time of year for children and families, but for family pets, it can be a stressful and even dangerous time of year. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers pet owners some common sense tips to help them keep their pets safe.

• Don’t leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween. There are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets on this night.

• Keep your outdoor cats inside several days before and several days after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children’s pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. Many shelters do not adopt out black cats on Halloween as a safety precaution.

• Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. Chocolate is poisonous to many animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

• Be careful of pets around a lit pumpkin. Pets may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.

• Don’t dress the dog or cat in costumes unless you know he or she will love it. Otherwise, it puts too much stress on the animal.

• If you dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal’s movement, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Also, there should not be small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.

• Be careful not to obstruct your pet’s vision. Even the sweetest animal can get snappy when he or she can’t see.

• All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary for a dog or cat.

• When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, be very careful your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside.

• Make sure your dog or cat is wearing proper identification. If for any reason they escape and become lost, you increase the chances that they will be returned to you.