💚 𝗣𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 💚 READ ME 💚

[AtlasHyperion]

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

How to Keep Your Pets Safe This Halloween
(this thread is a revamp, I was the previous owner of it and have all the necessary permissions, this thread is independent of other animal chatter threads)

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

Identification

If your pet wears a collar, they must be wearing tags!

Dogs should always be wearing collars with appropriate tags in case they get lost. If your cat wears a collar, you should make sure to tag it, too. Tags should include the following information: the pet's name, the address where it lives, and at least one working phone number. Animals that don't have identification end up in shelters, animal control centers, and pounds if they get lost, and they are hard to recover. Always put rabies vaccine tags, tags allowing you to pick your pet up from the pound, and any other tags you receive from your vet or animal care provider on your animal's collar.

Include tags for more than names and phone numbers!

You should always include the following identifications on your pet's collar tags: DEAF, BLIND, NEED MEDICINE, ALLERGIES DON'T FEED ME, MEDICAL ALERT - DO NOT FEED, HAS SEIZURES. These identifications help anyone who might find your pet to keep it safe. Always be as specific as possible on pet tags. Many places where you can engrave tags will allow you to engrave both sides, so if your dog has any kind of medical alert tag, engrave the back of it with special instructions or anything else someone who finds your pet should know. Make sure your pet wears these all the time to keep it safe all year.

Microchip, if possible!

A microchip is a small metal identification tag, the size of a small grain of rice or less, that is injected into your pet's neck between the shoulder blades, and gives information when scanned. In the US, the first thing shelters and vets do when they receive an animal is to check for a microchip. Even if your pet wears a collar, their collar could break or tear, or they could slip out of it and be left without any identification. Microchips are completely safe, painless, and permanent, and pretty cheap.

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

Be Realistic - Don't Take Risks

Keep outdoor pets inside on Halloween - AND THE NIGHT BEFORE!

There are plenty of urban legends about pets being abducted for all sorts of satanic rituals, but let me give it to you straight. If your pet is outside on Halloween, it will get hit by a car, it will bite a child, it will be terrorized by children or adults, it will get in fights with other animals, or it will run into a lit pumpkin and set itself on fire. Those are your options. It is not safe for pets to be outside on Halloween, because there are children running around, lit jack-o-lanterns, lots of cars, stressful decorations, and crazy people. There is such a thing as Mischief Night, the night before Halloween, where it's (unfortunately for literally everyone) tradition to prank neighbors and basically anyone else. There have been numerous cases of people abducting pets (especially cats) and torturing, mutilating, and killing them. I'm not trying to give you nightmares, I'm trying to scare you into being responsible. Don't let your pets out without strict supervision on the 30th or the 31st. Whether or not your neighborhood is a nice place, it's better safe than dead.

Be careful taking dogs and cats trick-or-treating. When in doubt, leave them at home!

Trick-or-treating is fun for kids and adults alike, but imagine you're a dog or a cat for a moment. Do you want to go up to a bunch of random houses, interact briefly with strangers in startling, flapping garments, be harassed by the pets they have behind a baby gate, interact with children in costumes with moving parts that run up to you wielding prop weapons without warning, jump at all the sudden shrieks and laughter of decorations and people alike, and be yelled at every time you try to eat some of this food on the ground? The answer is no. Halloween is really fun for people, but you have to think like you're a small animal that doesn't understand what's happening. It's not a fun experience for dogs and cats to go through all that, and it's likely to traumatize your pets. And what if your pet is skittish, rambunctious, not leash-trained, aggressive towards other animals, or doesn't like kids? You're inviting a traumatic experience in the proverbial front door by bringing pets with you. Just leave your animals at home, and put them in the cute taco costume in the safety of your living room for the eyes of your Instagram followers. If you really must take your pet trick-or-treating, make sure they're wearing a highly reflective harness or costume so they don't get lost or hit by a car.

Baby, and I cannot stress this enough, gates!!

Imagine someone else has the dog-aggressive, skittish, poorly-behaved dog on a leash when they come to your home, and you lazily told your pet to sit and not run out the door. This dog will bark and howl at them and might even run into your house, and then you're really in the thick of it. Or your pet sees an opening door and runs right out of it - into the arms of a small child with a flapping costume and a lightsaber, into a pumpkin with a lit candle, into a dragging pillowcase, or, even worse, down the busy street in the dark. Shut your pets in another room with food, water, toys, and comfort items, like a quiet radio or TV, or put up a baby gate that a suddenly excited animal cannot break through or jump over. Actually, forget the gate, just put your pet in another closed-off room and don't let them anywhere near the door. Gravestones should be left as decorations this Halloween.

Think like your pet does when choosing costumes!

If you must put your animal in a cute costume for the 'grams, (I know, I'm dressing my dog up as a bumblebee), be smart about it. Masks that restrict your pet's breathing or vision are stressful and dangerous if your pet winds up in the street - provided that they have good car sense, which most domestic animals don't. Costumes that prevent your pet from sitting, lying down, or walking are cruel and the people who use them are also cruel. Avoid flapping, moving parts (eight spider legs are terrifying for small animals), anything that lights up, and costumes that are too warm for the temperature in your house or wherever you are. As a general rule, don't dye your pets' fur for costumes. It's not necessary, it's stressful, and most dyes contain corrosive chemicals that will leave your pets in a lot of pain. If you absolutely must, be very careful and choose vegan, plant-based dyes that don't contain chemicals, and make sure to wrap your pets' dyed limbs and tails and watch them every single second until you're completely done. You wouldn't drink hair dye, but you're a human, not a dog. Costumes should not be used on animals that dislike wearing things. If your pet notices that they're wearing something new, they hate it. I'm sorry, but it's true.

Decorations look like food if you're color-blind and a cat!

There are three decorations you must NEVER have anywhere near animals: fake spider webs, pumpkins, and real candles. These cause, in order, obstruction of your pet's stomach and intestines (that's a very expensive surgery, if it doesn't kill them first) and/or choking, upset digestive systems (depending on how spoiled your pumpkins are, a bellyache and some vomit to clean off your grandmother's rug to a trip to the animal hospital at three in the morning, hoping your pet doesn't die), and fire. That's the big one - lit candles inside and outside of pumpkins can catch flammable fur and costumes on fire (no, pet costumes are not flame retardant, and in fact they are highly flammable), or be knocked down and burn down your house, with you, your loved ones, and your pets inside. Other decorations, like streamers, dangling things, and objects small enough for your pet to ingest (trust me, they will eat it if it's the right size whether it's plastic or not), are bad ideas, and should stay outside or in places where your pet couldn't reach them with a ladder, a handbook, and opposable thumbs. Your pets do not know the difference between dangerous objects, toys, and food.

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

CANDY IS NOT FOR PETS!

Halloween candy is toxic to all of your pets, and will kill your animal before you reach the emergency vet.

Pets must never be anywhere near chocolate, artificially-sweetened candy, raisins, or candy wrappers. Chocolate and artificial sweeteners (especially xylitol) are extremely toxic to your pets. Chocolate is just straight poison for your fur babies, similar to if you ate nightshade like a delicious ice cream cone. Be aware of quantity - if your Labrador accidentally eats one M&M, no one's going to die, but if your cat gets into someone's stash, it will get very sick. Xylitol causes rapid drops in your dog's blood sugar, leading to seizures, collapse, coma, and death. In high quantities (like one big candy bar for a small dog, or a nose in a kid's stash for a bigger one), xylitol causes liver failure, which is irreversible and fatal. Cats do not experience the same blood sugar effects if they consume xylitol, but it can still cause liver failure in your feline. Raisins are a problem for some dogs and cats, not all, and science is yet to tell us why and which pets are susceptible to it, but you've already heard the risks with feeding toxic things to pets. Candy wrappers left out are easily ingested by your pets, and lead to sickness, vomiting, and often trips to the surgery table at the emergency vet. Plastic bags, pieces of trick-or-treat bags and buckets, and food-smelling pillowcases are easy to ingest, and should always be out of reach of your animals.

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

Now that I've scared you into responsibility, make good decisions and don't worry too much. Halloween is all about entertaining costumes, lots of candy, parties with friends, good scares, and having fun. So happy Halloween, and scare responsibly!

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««

Discussion

Hi friends! If you want to contribute something, give advice, share stories, or talk about pets and Halloween, you're welcome to do so. Let's all be respectful of everyone's opinions and use good sources when making claims, so no one has to get upset about a fun (see: the best) holiday.

One thing to make note of is to always accommodate for your pets individually, not as one unit.

»»————————————————————————-　★　-————————————————————————««



sources:
https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/halloween-pet-safety
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ ... ty-in-dogs
https://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_ ... afety_tips
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general- ... afety-tips
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pag ... oween.aspx
https://www.pethub.com/article/10-impor ... pet-safety

[mierose]

Thank you so, so much for this thread! My family always puts chairs out on the porch to hand out candy, so that front door never even opens, which our animals are very thankful for (no doorbell, no screaming kids, they don't have to see the costumes or interact with any children or animals if they don't want to). One thing to make note of is to always accommodate for your pets individually, not as one unit. One of my dogs has been in training for her therapy certification for several months. She's been desensitized, she's been around all sorts of kids, sounds, and objects, and doesn't care a bit. When we hand out candy, she'll be in a down-stay right next to me (leashed still, of course) for the purpose of training. This is only because I absolutely know what she can and can't tolerate, and treats will be involved to make it a positive, educational experience. We'll still be sitting a bit off to the side to keep things fun for children who don't like dogs, and so that it's not all in her face. However, my other animals aren't like this at all and would be terrified in the same situation, hence why they're not becoming therapy animals. They'll be in quiet, safe spaces where they can spend the evening snoozing and chewing on their favorite toys. Halloween can be a great training experience, but only if done safely, correctly, and you absolutely know your dog is ready. If it's not 100%, don't do it (and always keep them leashed/close to you!). Happy Halloween to all! If you have any fun recipes for Halloween dog cookies, please pm me, I'd love to see some. <3

[Falco]

If you have a black cat, keep it inside!! Someone threatened to kidnap, and sacrifice our cats to demons and witches one year.

[Blue_Aussie]

If you have a black cat, keep it inside!! Someone threatened to kidnap, and sacrifice our cats to demons and witches one year.

Good to know, though I keep him inside anyways. Some people are so weird!

[AtlasHyperion]

One thing to make note of is to always accommodate for your pets individually, not as one unit.

Excellent point! I'll add it as a quote in the discussion section. All animals respond to all things differently, and it's important to recognize that your dogs and cats and someone else's dogs and cats will all have unique reactions to everything. As for dog-friendly Halloween treats, this is one of my go-to recipes for pumpkin and peanut butter treats. Please note: cinnamon is non-toxic for dogs, but nutmeg is toxic in large doses and can cause high heart rates and hallucinations.