Halloween Pet Safety Tips

There's no doubt that Halloween is a fun time for kids—and many adults, too. What's not to love about a day filled with free candy, awesome costumes, spooky decorations, and great parties?

However, all of this extra activity can be very stressful for pets and can lead to some dangerous scenarios, so we urge you to take the following precautions to keep your dog or cat safe this Halloween:

• Make sure your pet is wearing a collar and an ID tag at all times in case he manages to escape from the house or yard during the chaos.
• Keep all treats out of reach of pets, especially those containing dark chocolate, baking chocolate, or the artificial sweetener xylitol.
• Consider keeping your pet crated or in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat hours to alleviate the stress caused by a constantly ringing doorbell and a never-ending parade of strangers. You could also try turning on a TV or radio near the pet to drown out the trick-or-treaters' noise.
• Never leave an unsupervised dog or cat alone in a room decorated for Halloween, as the pet may knock over candles, choke on fake cobwebs and rubber spiders, or chew through electrical cords.
• If you dress your pet in a costume, make sure it fits properly and does not obstruct vision, prevent barking or meowing, or interfere with free movement.
• Bring outdoor pets inside for the night (or, at the very least, keep them in the garage) to reduce the chances of pranksters targeting them.
• Look up the emergency vet's phone number and the animal poison control helpline number and keep them handy just in case.

Don't let concerns about your pet's health and safety keep you from having a good time this Halloween. Take these precautions into account and put the ones that apply to your household in place so that the entire family can enjoy this spookiest of days!