Consider keeping your dog or cat in a room away from the front door. Aside from the dangers of door dashing, even calm pets can be upset by the strange sights and sounds of trick-or-treaters. You also want to be sure that your pet won’t scare or accidentally harm a trick-or-treats with an exuberant jump !

Keep jack-o-lanterns and festive pumpkins out of the reach of pets. Although pumpkin is generally safe, eating too much of it can cause upset stomachs according to the ASPCA . In addition, candles in jack-o-lanterns can singe curious pets or cause fires if knocked over! Even if you use glow sticks, the AVMA reminds pet parents that those can cause pets to “salivate excessively and behave strangely.”

If you do dress up your pet, make sure that the costume is safe and non-constricting. Also, be sure to supervise your pet while he’s wearing the costume. Veterinarian Dr. Becker suggested to ABC that pet parents could remove the costume as soon as a few photos are taken.

If you dress up your pet, skip the mask. You want to be sure you don’t obstruct your pet’s vision at all or interfere with their ability to breathe.

Don’t dress up your pet if he seems unhappy about it. Some pets dislike costumes or are stressed out by them. PetMD suggests taking the time to let your pet try the costume and get used to it before the big night. If your pet doesn’t seem thrilled to be wearing the costume, try a bandanna, new festive collar (remember to move your pet’s tags!) or letting your pet celebrate in his birthday suit!

Make sure that all candy is kept safely away from inquisitive pets. Don’t forget about the wrappers, too, since some pets will investigate and eat those. The American Veterinary Medical Association reminds pet parents that xylitol (often found in sugar-free candies and gum) and chocolate are especially problematic. Learn more about dangerous foods for dogs .

Pets left outdoors can encounter tricksters. PetMD notes that people harass, harm, steal and even sometimes kill pets left outside on Halloween.

ASPCA

Halloween can be a traumatic and even dangerous time for your pets. The ASPCA would like to offer some common-sense tips to help you protect them:

Don’t leave your pets out in the yard on Halloween: there are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets on this night.

Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets: chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Be careful of pets around a lit pumpkin: pets may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.

Don’t dress the dog in costume unless you know he loves it. Otherwise, it puts a lot of stress on the animal.

If you do dress up your dog, make sure the costume isn’t constricting, annoying or unsafe.

Be careful not to obstruct his or her vision; even the sweetest dogs can get snappy when they can’t see what’s going on around them.

All but the most social dogs should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours; too many strangers in strange garb can be scary for a dog.

Be careful your cat or dog doesn’t dart out through an open door.

While this can be a fun time for people and pets alike, remember that your pets are depending on you to keep them safe from the more dangerous goblins and ghouls that this holiday brings.

Courtesy of

ASPCA

424 East 92nd St.

New York, NY 10128-6804

(212) 876-7700

www.aspca.org