Not every animal responds the same way to certain situations. Even a familiar person in a costume can become a frightening encounter to your pet. When placed in an environment, like trick-or-treating, where there is a constant influx of stimulus your pet may react differently than they would at home. Children do not always ask permission before petting an animal, especially when they are excited. To avoid any negative interactions, consider leaving your pet at home if they don’t do well in high-energy situations.
Ducati makes sure she stays away from chocolate and candy.
On the other hand, some pets do not handle being left at home very well, either. Anxiety can build up quickly when strangers are coming to the door every few minutes. Provide your pet with a safe place that they can go inside the house that is away from the noises of Halloween.
Safety Tip…
Chocolate is toxic to animals. This time of year provides a smorgasbord of chocolate and candy that can bring about some serious complications.
- Put all Halloween candy and chocolate out of reach
- Talk to the family about pet safety around chocolate and other sources of candy/sugar
- Don’t leave chocolate in the garbage can – pets will sniff this out!
- Call Lakeshore ER (414-761-6333) or Animal Poison Control (855-289-0358) if your pet ingests chocolate. Do not wait to call! This is an emergency.