Move Candy Out of Reach
Chocolate is an obvious no-no for pets, but xylitol, a sweetener often found in gum and sugar-free candies, can cause serious liver damage to both dogs and cats if ingested. Even if you’ve gobbled up every last bit of your tasty treats, empty candy wrappers can also pose a choking hazard.
To protect your pets during trick-or-treat season, store candy in a spot your pets can’t reach and make sure kids are aware that they shouldn’t share candy with their furry family members.
Keep Pets Indoors
While some pets may be used to spending evenings playing in the yard, we recommend keeping them indoors on Halloween night. With so many unfamiliar people in the neighborhood for trick-or-treating, pets are more vulnerable. Even if you have a gated yard, children may open the gate to pet a cute dog, and forget to close it.
The unusual amount of visitors may frighten your pet, too—a normally docile dog may be frightened by costumed children or masked strangers and could bite out of fear or an attempt to protect you from these mysterious intruders.
Designate a Quiet Room
With the door constantly opening and closing for trick-or-treaters, your pet will have plenty of opportunities to escape. Keep your cat or dog in a quiet room of the house away from the front door, such as the laundry room or a guest bedroom, and give them a treat or toy to distract them from the commotion—we recommend food mazes or puzzles that will keep your pet entertained while they work for a treat.
Consider adding white noise, such as a TV, music, or fan. White noise can help drown out the sounds of voices or the doorbell ringing that may distract pets who are easily over-excited by visitors.
Don’t Force Costumes
There’s nothing cuter than a cat in a costume, but some pets dislike wearing them. If you want your pet to wear their bee wings happily, introduce the costume before Halloween rolls around. Let them get comfortable wearing it for short periods of time and reward them with treats to build a positive association.
Make sure any costumes fit right and don’t block their vision, hearing, or ability to breathe, and remove any small parts that could be chewed off.
Even after adjusting to a costume, your pet may still show signs of being uncomfortable wearing something unfamiliar. A festive Halloween bandana is an easy, safe way to get in the spirit if your pet doesn’t tolerate a costume.
