When it comes to Halloween, with all the costumes, masks, lights, decorations, and visitors, it's important to consider how your pet may perceive it. Dogs are protective of their homes and may alert you when strangers arrive, while cats tend to prefer a peaceful environment with their family. The constant knocking or ringing of the doorbell by trick-or-treaters can be stressful for both dogs and cats. To make sure your pet has a stress-free Halloween, read on for our helpful tips and tricks!

Pets and Halloween Stress

• Before the trick-or-treating starts, put your pets in a quiet room to be safe from all the Halloween activity. If your pup is likely to try to run out the front door and is comfortable in a crate, consider putting them in the crate with a treat-filled toy and some soft music playing in the background. A spritz of Feliway can help keep cats calm.
• Minimize noise by sitting outside to keep trick-or-treaters from knocking on the door or ringing the bell.
• Make sure your pets have identification (microchip, collar, and ID tag) that will make it easy for someone to contact you and return them home if they escape through an open door while you're distracted with trick-or-treaters.
• Even if you have friends over for a Halloween party, keep your pets away from the festivities in their safe room. Masks and costumes change how people look and smell to a pet, so even familiar people may become frightening. Put a sign on the door to the safe room so your guests know it’s off-limits.
• When going out trick-or-treating, leave your dog at home. Dogs can be quickly excited by the Halloween commotion, and a bite or a lost dog will quickly end the evening’s fun.

Pets and Treats

• Don't feed pets Halloween treats. Raisins can cause your pet’s kidneys to fail, and candy may contain substances toxic to pets, such as chocolate or xylitol (a common sugar substitute found in sugar-free candies and gum). Often, you won’t be able to tell what a treat or piece of candy contains just by looking at it.
• Watch your kids! Children may make the harmful mistake of sharing their loot. Ensure they know the difference between a treat for them and a treat for their four-legged friends.

Pets and Costumes

• Keep all human costume pieces, along with glow sticks, decorations, batteries, and other holiday items, away from pets. When chewed, glow stick items can release liquid that tastes really bad and make pets drool excessively or act strangely (though it isn’t likely harmful). Other costume parts and decorations might cause choking, internal injury, or illness.
• If you plan to put a costume on your pet, make sure it follows these guidelines:
• Fits appropriately and is comfortable
• Doesn't have any pieces that easily can be chewed off or cause choking
• Doesn't block your pet's sight, hearing, breathing, mouth, or movement
• Take time before Halloween to get your pet accustomed to the costume, and never leave a costumed pet unsupervised.

Halloween should be fun for the whole family, including your pets. Just remember to keep your furry friends safe and away from your candy!