Fall & Halloween Pet Safety for Terre Haute Pet Parents
Fall is a welcome season after the heat of summer, and Halloween can be a fun, exciting time for the whole family! However, proper safety precautions need to be taken for your furry family members to enjoy the season! Take our animal hospital’s Fall and Halloween pet safety tips into account so your pet can enjoy the fun, too!
Fall Pet Safety
Fall can bring about some dangerous situations for our pets, but luckily all can be avoided with these precautions!
- Rodenticides. As the weather cools, mice and other rodents may start seeking shelter in and around your warm home! It’s understandable to want to put rodenticides out, but put them in places your pet can’t reach! What hurts mice may also hurt your pet!
- Antifreeze. ‘Tis the season to check your car’s antifreeze levels and top it off the for coming winter. Antifreeze smells particularly enticing to pets, but it is highly toxic. Make sure to store it out of paw’s reach and clean up any spills immediately!
- Parasite prevention. Ticks and fleas are still active throughout the fall season, so it’s important to keep up your pet’s preventatives all year long!
- Thick fur coats. If your pet’s coat was trimmed for the summer, now is the time to let them grow it back out. They’ll need all the warmth they can get for the winter!
- Mushrooms. Don’t let your dog get too friendly with fungi. While many are harmless, mushrooms can be highly toxic in even small qualities, and it can be nearly impossible to tell them apart. Keep your pet away!
The Candy Situation
With Halloween this season, candy is bound to find its way into our homes. It’s fair to say that many of us know how toxic chocolate is to our pets, but there are some other toxins to be wary of, too. Xylitol is a common sugar substitute in sugar-free candies, and it can cause severe gastrointestinal problems. It’s best to keep all candy away from your pet to be safe! Additionally, candy wrappers can be just as dangerous as their texture can cause damage to your pet’s gastrointestinal tract. Keep your house tidy and be careful that there aren’t candy wrappers around your yard, particularly where your dog goes to the toilet! The shiny, crinkly material is too much to ignore!
The Danger with Costumes
You may think it’s a lot of fun to change your entire appearance and dress up as something otherworldly but your pet may not agree. Pets recognize you by your appearance and smell, and costumes can change both. Additionally, costumes often look like things pets have never seen before. A combination of all these factors could elicit a fear response in your pet which could be a flight response, or a fight response. If your pet exhibits any signs of aggression toward you or other costumed guests, it’s probably time to put them in their crate, or a quiet room where they can feel safe.
Have any other questions about Halloween or fall pet safety? Talk to your veterinarian at your next appointment, or call our animal hospital today at 812-645-0715.