Halloween

Remember: your dog or cat is not human. No one prepared them for all this hoopla. Unfortunately, like any other celebration in the household, there are a lot of risks related to Halloween! In all the excitement, a dog will simply greedily snap up everything, paper wrappers and all! This, of course, results in a number of problems. Chocolate is toxic to animals. Especially its content as the higher the content in cocoa, the more toxic it is. One of the components is theobromine and in can cause serious to life-threatening side effects. In addition, it’s harmful to their pancreas because of the fat… not to mention all the non-food items that are strewn around after a night Halloween partying. For example, wrapped candy can block the intestine or other conditions related to ingesting foreign bodies.

We simply can’t ignore the dangers posed by Halloween. As a matter of fact, we could think that beside nutritional poisoning, Halloween is rather safe. On the other hand, with the door constantly opening and closing, revealing terrifying costumes… this can be frightening for your pet and trigger unexpected reaction. On top of causing stress, your animal could run away! Every year, the day after Halloween, veterinary practices and shelters get calls from clients who are looking for their cats and dog. To prevent such a stress for you and your pet, it is better to place them in a closed room or even send them to a pet sitter. Choose a room where he feels comfy and you can play soft music to cover some of the noise that could be stressful. Also, turn this alone time into fun time by feeding him using a food dispensing toy, which will keep him busy. In any event, a Halloween party can also be very unappealing. Best to avoid that. In the same way, it is not the best idea to bring your pet along while trick or treating. It is not the best time to go for a walk because too much is going on and it could spook your dogs, not to mention all the kids going around. This is the perfect mix to turn a fun evening in a stress-related bite or a dog on the run.

Thanks to the Web, pictures and clips of animal wearing costumes are everywhere, but is it a good idea to dress up your pet? While some may tolerate it, don’t think that it is comfortable for your pet. Not knowing what is going on, getting dressed can cause so much stress. On top of not being able to move freely, your pet can panic and even bite someone while getting dressed. You would probably do the same if someone tried to put a costume on you without explaining why or ask for your approval. Don’t be angry, it is your pet giving you a clear message that he is not comfortable, so give up and let your animal calm down when you see signs of stress and move on to a fun activity for your pet.

Now that you can identify possible dangers related to Halloween, you can plan the event in such way that you will prevent bad surprises. If you have more questions or if you think that your pet swallowed something dangerous, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Passionnimo veterinary team. It is always here to help you and your beloved pet.