11 Ways to Ensure a Safe and Fun Halloween for Your Dog

While Halloween can be a fun time for small and big humans, if the necessary precautions are not taken, Halloween can be a stressful time for your dog. Here I share 11 things to keep in mind to keep your dog safe during this occasion

🐾 Not all dogs enjoy dressing up. If you dress up your dog for Halloween, introduce your pet to the costume with treats and lots of praises.

🐾 Do not force fluffy to wear the costume. If you see any signs of distress and anxiety, then your dog should not wear it.

Signs of distress can be:

🐾 Yawning

🐾 Lip licking.

🐾 Lifting a paw.

🐾 Backing away.

🐾 Barking.

🐾 Growling and aggression.

🐾 Ensure your dog can move freely when wearing a costume. It should not be tight. Your dog should be able to see, hear and comfortably breath. She should be able to urinate and defecate.

🐾 The costume should not have small beads or objects that can come off the outfit and become a choking hazard.

🐾 Supervise your dog at ALL times while wearing the outfit.  This will allow you to help your dog immediately and avoid your dog from getting hurt if something goes wrong. Your dog should be supervised by an adult at all times while wearing the outfit.

🐾 Candies are for people, not dogs. They can be toxic for a dog. Chocolate poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breading, increased heart rate, and seizures. Bubblegum can have artificial sweeteners like xylitol. Xylitol can be harmful to dogs if they eat it. It can cause liver failure and low blood sugar levels that can result in loss of coordination and seizures.

🐾 Keep your dog at home. Although Halloween may be fun for humans, it could be stressful for your pet. The constant visits from strangers wearing unusual outfits can be scary for your dog. Therefore, it is best to keep your dog in a quiet room or his crate.

🐾 Keep the glow sticks away from your dog. The liquid inside the glow stick although it is not toxic it may cause drooling and vomiting due to its bad taste. If your dog bites a glow stick, offer him some water to clear the material out.

🐾  Keep pumpkins and corn away from your dog. Pumpkins can develop a mold that produces mycotoxins. These mycotoxins, if ingested, can cause neurologic problems in dogs. Also, if your dog swallows a large piece of uncooked pumpkin or corn, this can cause an intestinal obstruction that could potentially require surgery.

🐾 Keep candles and electric decorations away from your dog. Candles should be out of their reach to prevent them from getting burned or causing a fire. Also, protect all electrical cords. If your dog chews on an electrical cord, this can result in electrical shock or a burn.

🐾  Your dog should wear his dog collar with up-to-date tags (microchip, collar and ID tag). Many dogs get stressed on Halloween night. The anxiety may cause unpredictable behavior like running away. In case he escapes through an open door while you are distracted by visitors, having an identification will increase the probability that he will be returned.