Halloween is a fun time for everyone. That is, everyone but your pets. It can be a stressful and dangerous time for them if precautions are not taken to keep them safe. Below are some safety tips to help keep your pets safe this Halloween.

1. Halloween candy is not for your pets. Chocolate, especially dark or baker’s chocolate is dangerous. It can even cause death if large amounts are eaten. Artificial sweeteners in some candy can also be poisonous.

2.  Don’t leave your pets out in the yard on Halloween night. Pranksters have been known to tease, injure, steal and even kill pets left outside on Halloween night.

3.  Keep pets confined and away from the door. With the door being constantly opened and closed while handing out candy, your pet could very easily bolt out the door due to the excitement.

4. Keep your outdoor cats in for several days before and after Halloween. Especially the black cats.  Unfortunately is it not a myth that black cats are targets for pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. Black dogs not so much. Cruelty takes the form of so called “Halloween Celebrations” in hanging, burning or other forms of torture. Keep bright collars on your cats, black or not, so it is clear that they are someone’s pet.  Most shelters are very careful to whom they adopt cats to during October. And a lot of shelters will not adopt out black cats at all during the month of October because of this.

5.  Don’t keep pets around lit pumpkins. If they get too close, they could easily knock these over and cause a fire or if they are curious and have long haired, could even catch their fur or whiskers on fire.

6. Don’t dress your pet up in costumes unless you know they are comfortable in being dressed up. In fact, try the costumes on several days ahead of Halloween to see if they are alright with wearing these silly outfits (even though they look cute as heck!).

7. And always, have an ID tag or some kind of identification on your pet. If your pet should escape and become lost, having the proper ID will give them a better chance of being returned. Make sure the info is up-to-date.  Even with the in-bedded microchip, it is a good idea to have a tag with info on it that is more readily visible.

8. Keep an eye out for suspicious behavior in your neighborhood, whether you own pets or not. And please, consider keeping an eye out for the neighbor’s pets, too.

Hopefully everyone, human and animal, will have a happy and safe Halloween.

 

Christy Forman

Freeborn County Humane Society

Albert Lea