The Pet Connection’s Pet Talk: Where People and Pet’s Connect Halloween Safety for you and your furry friends
Are you a superstitious person? Do you avoid walking under ladders for fear of bringing you bad luck? Is a black cat crossing your path a sign of bad luck? Does a broken mirror bring you seven years of bad luck? Generally, when we think of superstitions, we think of Halloween of All Hallows’ Eve (All
Saints’ Eve) Oct. 31st, the holiday observed especially with dressing in costume and trick-or-treating.
This is my favorite time of the year, even going back to the days when I was still living at home. Dressing up and going out with all my sisters, brings back fond memories of days gone by. While being away from those like-minded, hasn’t stopped me from still carrying on the Halloween tradition. If you are a crazy pet owner like myself, then you know where this is going. Yep, it’s time to dress up our pets and learn about Halloween safety.
As we begin to prepare for those ghosts and goblins knocking at our doors, we first want to prepare for the safety of our pets. Not every pet is as welcoming as we are to having someone dressed up - no matter how scary or innocent the costume may be. Dogs and cats alike can be frightened by strangers coming to the doors, thus causing them fear, and in some cases may even cause them to lash out and bite.
Properly containing them in a back room away from all the excitement and keeping the door closed or keeping them crated may be the safest in protecting your pets. Placing a large sign on the door that reads, “PETS ARE BEHIND THESE DOORS. CAUTION” may prevent a friend or family member from letting them escape. Don’t leave pets unattended in your yard. Especially if you have and own a black cat. Unfortunately, we have people that would do harm to our fur babies and the safest thing for your pets is to keep them in this weekend. I would recommend always doing a perimeter (yard) check before letting them outside to potty. Lately we have been seeing on social media that several pets have been poisoned by food thrown in yards. Always keep proper identification on all pets, inside or outside. Have current photos of your pets – this will help in recovery if they do get away from home.
When bringing home the treats, remember to keep all Halloween candy away from pets. Candy, especially chocolate in all forms from baking to dark, can be dangerous and possibly even deadly for pets. Candies and gums with artificial sweetener, Xylitol, is also poisonous even in small amounts and can cause lasting health issues and death. Place any and all candies out of reach of your pets. Keep all glow sticks out of reach of your pets also.
Be sure to keep the following numbers handy -
Animal Poison Control Hotline: 888-426-4435 ASPCA Pet Poison Helpline 24/7 Animal Poison Control Center: 888-213-6680 and your local emergency pet hospital number -
VCA Greenbelt Animal Hospital and Permian Basin Emergency: 432-561-8301
West Texas Emergency Veterinary Clinic: 432614-9204
When dressing up your pets, I would advise doing it several days ahead of the first outing. Not all pets will like being dressed up, even if it’s in a winter sweater. Know your pet’s habits and if dressing your pet up causes them stress, then it looks like you’ll have to be the only one dressing up. Never leave your pet unsupervised in a costume. You don’t want them chewing it up and possibly swallowing parts of the costume. I like to start out mine when they are young if I have the opportunity. Being patient with them and reading their body language tell me whether or not this will be a go.
There are so many fun activities that you can do with your pets around this time of the year. With my therapy dogs, we would have matching costumes and would go out to the VA Hospital and local nursing homes. Over the years, I have entered pet costume contests which are a lot of fun. Just a couple of years ago, Little Bit, Salem, and I entered a fun walk fundraiser in Coahoma and we all were dressed in costume. Spending time and keeping your pets engaged is not only a great way to spend time with them, but encourages a much stronger bond between pet and pet parent. For questions or comments: r4thepets@aol.com Please don’t litter, spay & neuter.