Do you dress up your dog (or cat) for Halloween?
Statistics show about half of us do — with pumpkins and ladybugs being the favorite costumes!
It’s fun dressing up our pets (not to mention, you get some pretty cute photos out of it!), but there’s also potential for less-than-fun things to happen on Halloween.
Here’s a list of what to keep in mind so everyone stays safe:
- Keep the candy far away from your dog. You know there are “people foods” that can be toxic to your dog, and chocolate as well as other types of candy — especially sugar-free products — can be especially dangerous. Keep the candy up, away and out of sight and smell range — remember how powerful your dog’s nose is! If your pet eats something and you’re not certain if it’s harmful, call your vet right away.
- Pumpkins and decorative corn make great decorations. But they can also make your pet sick if he eats them.
- Opt for a flashlight inside your jack-o’-lantern. Your dog or cat can easily knock over a pumpkin, and if there’s a lit candle inside …
- Ask your pet how he feels about wearing a costume. No, of course he won’t reply — but he will tell you if he’s at all stressed or uncomfortable. Look for closed mouth, flat ears, tucked tail, whites of the eyes visible. If your dog is really signaling that he wants the costume off (and truthfully, most don’t like it!), opt for a fancy bow tie or collar. (Loving Misfits Homemade Pet Creations has some real cute stuff, and all profits go toward helping homeless animals!) If you just can’t resist putting your pet in a costume, leave it on long enough for a few photos, and then take it off and let your dog be a dog!
- Maybe you have one of those dogs who loves ambling toward the door to happily greet the trick-or-treaters. We’ve yet to have a dog who wouldn’t vote Halloween The Most Stressful Night Of The Year! If your dog is reacting each time the doorbell rings, or your cat is biding his time until he can dart out the front door, keep everyone safe by confining them to a room with a closed door that’s away from the action. They probably won’t be thrilled about this, but it’s only for a short time — and it’s better than them suffering through the stress of having one stranger after another show up at the house.
- Glow sticks keep kids safe when they’re out at night. But if your pet punctures one, he might begin drooling heavily and zooming around the house. This is because the presumably non-toxic substance inside has a very bitter taste. The ASPCA recommends giving your pet a treat or even a small sip of milk to stop the reaction.
As always, the bottom line is to observe your dog and respect what he’s trying to tell you.
What’s fun for you might be a nightmarish experience for your dog, and no amount of holding him and saying, “It’s OK” will help him feel better about what’s going on.
If he’s scared, nervous or reactive in any way, your best bet is to remove him from the situation entirely. Put him in a room upstairs and away from the action with classical music playing, if possible.
It’s not ideal, but it’s only one night out of the year. Tomorrow night, he can go back to being King of the Couch!
What do you with your pet on Halloween? Let us know in the comments section below.
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