THIS HALLOWEEN: TOP 10 SAFETY TIPS

[AJE]

8) NO SCAREDY CATS (OR DOGS!) THIS HALLOWEEN: TOP 10 SAFETY TIPS 8)

:wink: Attention, pet parents!
:arrow: 1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian.

:arrow: 2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.

:arrow: 3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

:arrow: 4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

:arrow: 5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

:arrow: 6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.

:arrow: 7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can't see.

:arrow: 8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

:arrow: 9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

:arrow: 10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

[Scarberry2003]

Even if your dog or cat is very sociable, might be best to keep them in another room. Never know when a child or adult that comes to the door is extremely afraid of animals, or highly allergic. Would hate to see someone's lab greet a child at the door and have the child run, possibly into traffic, if he or she was frightened of that large black furry thing that just wanted to say hi.

Another note,, we always dis connect the doorbell and just keep the main door open,,, door bell always drove our dog nuts even if he was in another room. Always nice to sit outside on the steps to greet the kids if the weather is good,, keeps the pranksters at bay too.

everyone stay safe and have a great halloween.

[AJE]

With Halloween right around the corner would like to re-instate the precautions for our precious pets.

[dgridley]

Let's make sure our pets also have a safe and happy Halloween! More things that go BUMP in the night!

[CarolsCritterCare]

Many dogs are scared to death of people in costumes....
Sometimes I have to tell folks not to chase that scared dog because it could turn and bite you as a reflex of being so scared

[dgridley]

My girlfriend's dog didn't really care for costumes but would tolerate them if we said he "looked nice".. you could tell he thought the whole thing was "unmanly" and silly!

He had a spider hat for Halloween and reindeer antlers for Christmas.

He loved both holidays.. I miss that dog!