Halloween can be a stressful time. Here are a few tips for you to keep your pets safe and happy!
Sweets and chocolate
Halloween means plenty of treats are in the house. Remember that they are dangerous for our furry friends. As a result it is best to keep them locked away safely as they can make pets very sick. For example chocolate, nuts grapes and raisins can even prove fatal. If your pet eats any of these, please call us for advice straight away.
Noise
Keep your pets indoors in a quiet secure room. Firstly, fireworks and trick-or-treaters are noisy and disruptive for animals. Turn on the radio or trv to help to drown out outside noises. In addition your local vets will supply you with natural relaxing pheromones for dogs and cats that will help to make the room a comfortable haven. Secondly bring all pets especially rabbits and small furries indoors and if they are used to a crate or cage place them in in. In addition if you cover this with a thick fabric will help block out noise and light. However remember to make sure your pet does not eat the fabric!
Pets that are very sensitive to noise will become more tolerant through gradual exposure. Firework noises can be found on YouTube. By starting at a very low volume (such that your pet does not react at all ) and increasing gradually over weeks, pets become less distressed by them. But please note, some pets will take months to complete this process. So it is best started with next year in mind or between the ages of 8 – 14 weeks for young animals at any time of the year.
Candles and decorations
Waggy tails and curious kittens will easily overturn candles and decorations. By using battery powered alternatives and keeping pets away from open flames burns and fires are avoided.
Pets easily get tangled up in decorations and even chew up and eat them. Supervise your animal when around your spooky handiwork.
Costumes
Most pets find dressing up quite stressful. They usually only tolerate it for us. Skip that Instagram moment for their sake.
Also many pets especially dogs are really scared by our costumes, particularly hats and facemasks, (anything we wear on our heads). A dog will snap or bite a person very easily because they are very scared and do not recognise whom or what is in their house even if it is their owner or a child who lives there permanently, let alone strangers at the door. That is why it is best for you to keep pets in their safe room or area away from the all of the fuss and festivities.
I.D. and visibility
Even with careful planning pets will sometimes escape the house. Therefore ensure you microchip your pets in advance and check that you have your details up to date on the chip. Your local vets will scan and check the details on your pets microchip free of Charge. An ID tag with your phone number will also help with a safe return. Ensure they are visible on dark nights with reflective collars and harnesses.
In Summary, have a happy spooky Halloween from all of us at Petcare Vets, just make sure your pets are safe and happy so that you are free to enjoy the festivities with any worries or drama!
