Halloween Safety For Our Pets

August 14, 2025

Halloween Safety For Our Pets

Halloween is a time filled with costumes, yummy treats, and lots of excitement. Nothing is more adorable than seeing our pets dressed up as our favorite Halloween characters! Including our pets in Halloween is a lot of fun! However, there are some steps that should be taken to keep our furry friends safe.

Costumes are cute and an integral part of Halloween. Be sure that your pet’s costume does not impede his eyesight, hearing or movement. Costumes should not be too tight or too lose, or have any pieces your pet can chew or swallow.

Halloween treats can be very toxic to your pet. Chocolate can cause an elevated heart rate, seizures, high blood pressure and death. Treats containing grapes or raisins can cause kidney failure. Xylitol, an artificial sugar can cause dangerously low blood sugar, liver failure and seizures. Xylitol is most commonly found in sugar free gum, but can be found in a variety of other candy. Make sure you keep any treats out of your pet’s reach inside your home and watch out while walking your pet outside for any dropped Halloween candies.

If you take your pet trick-or-treating with you, be sure to keep them on a short leash so that they cannot grab dropped candies or accidentally trip small children with their leash. Your pet should have identification on his collar and have a microchip just in case he would get separated from you. A lighted or reflective collar or harness will make him easier to see in the dark.

Decorating for Halloween can be tons of fun. Make sure there are no small decorations your pet could swallow. Swallowing decorations could result in an intestinal obstruction which needs surgical treatment. Jack-O-lanterns and candles are also very common this time of year, but beware of where you put them. Our curious companions can easily knock them over with their tails or accidentally get too close resulting in burns.

Halloween is a very exciting time and sometimes the excitement is too much for our furry friends. Trick-or-treaters, the shouts of children, the doorbell ringing and even the costumes can be stressful to your pet. If your pet gets anxious, be sure to keep them in a quiet area of the house where they can not bolt out the door if spooked.

Pets are a valued part of the family. They can safely help celebrate the holidays if we take some extra precautions.

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