Do’s and Don’ts and celebrating Pet-Friendly Halloween.

When it comes to celebrating, we all want to have a happy environment where we can all enjoy
ourselves, along with family and friends. This includes our four-legged friends. With Easter long
past and Christmas fast approaching, we need to be aware of the harmful things that can be
dangerous to our pets. But in recent times, Halloween is gaining popularity and it is
necessary to be aware of Halloween dangers for your pet as well.

With Halloween and School Holidays just around the corner, we thought we should help and contribute a bit to your celebration. Here is a list of things to take care of during Halloween:

1 Chocolate/Candy:
Kids and adults all have a varied love for chocolates and candies and so do dogs. They have a very
strong sense of smell which lures them to try that tempting chocolate that you might have hidden. And
remember, they are good at digging out things too! So, keep your stash of chocolates at a very safe place where your doggo can’t reach. Someone might think that sugarfree candy is safe for your fur baby, but this is not true. Sugar-free candies may contain xylitol, a poison that an effectively kill your furry friend. Kids are innocent at heart and are good at sharing things with their four-legged friends. It might happen innocently, that they feed lollies/candies and chocolate to your pets. We would request
every parent and fur parent to keep an eye on your pet.

If your pet happens to have eaten chocolate/candies, rush to your veterinarian. Some symptoms of chocolate toxicity include:

• Weakness
• Tremors
• Seizure
• Collapse
• Vomiting

2. Glow sticks
Glow sticks are helpful to keep kids safe while they go out in the dark trick or treating. Pets,
especially cats are very much attracted to them as they find the glow sticks to be a lot of fun and
out of excitement they might end up puncturing these glow sticks with their claws. Although
most of the glow sticks are marked non-toxic, they do have an extremely bitter taste. If your pet
tastes it, you might find your pet drooling and racing around the house. Give them a bit of treat
or a sip of milk to stop the taste reaction.

3. Keep your pet’s microchip up to date with your current details
Your pet might know a way to get back to his/her house when he/she is around. But if they get anxious or stressed by something or if they follow something and end up going far away, it is a serious problem for them to find their way back home. It is thus important to keep your pets microchip details up to date.
They can’t speak for themselves so we must do our best for their wellbeing.

4. Calm your pets
We can all be naughty with our pets and act spooky with them at times. But many visitors dressed
strangely and a strange décor all-around can make them anxious. Monitor their behaviour. If your pet looks uncomfortable to you because of the recent changes in the décor, then you might want to rethink your décor or the celebration in some cases.

5. Costume check
We all like to dress up ourselves and our pets to some degree. Costumes can be fun for the whole
family and we may like to involve our furry friends in our dress-up party. But, if you are
planning on dressing up your furry friend, make sure that the costume fits well and does not
make your fur baby uncomfortable in any way. Make sure the costume is not covering up their
eyes, mouth, nose, tail or ears and obstructing their basic functionality. Make sure it won’t slip
and tangle the pet or cause a choking hazard if chewed on. Ensure that the costume is attached
well. Make sure your pet is comfortable wearing that costume. If not, maybe leave the idea of
dressing your pet. Also, make sure they are not feeling too hot in their costume. In some cases, it
might also cause heat stroke considering the weather is getting warmer already.

Happy Trick or Treating!