Is it really that dangerous?
Potentially! Halloween is usually considered a fun holiday to dress up, show up on strangers’ porches and trust them to give you food that you then go home and gorge on until you feel like you’ll explode…. super fun, right?
But in all seriousness, we really do treat Halloween like a light-hearted holiday and don’t really worry about anything worse than getting a tummy ache or being chilly while wearing your costume out in the Autumn air. Unfortunately, it can be the opposite of a fun time for our pets for a multitude of reasons. We all need to be proactive when it comes to a holiday such as this one, and consider what measures we can take to keep our pets happy and healthy.
Signs of anxiety for our pets may look like pacing, panting, biting, licking, whining or crying, food avoidance, vomiting, and even accidents in the house. Destruction of household items could be present and certainly hiding or even aggressive type behavior such as jumping, biting or raised hackles. What could be the most detrimental are running away, trying to escape from a costume to the point of self-harm or strangulation, and chewing/ingesting of dangerous objects that could lead to an obstruction, perforation or even poisoning. Keep these in mind as you read through the topics below.
Costumes
Everyone loves a dog or cat in a Halloween costume! Except, possibly, the actual dog or cat. Many animals get severe anxiety when being put into an outfit that they wouldn’t otherwise be wearing. It’s one thing if you have a small dog with short hair who comfortably wears sweaters every day, and quite another to squeeze an animal into a tight, frilly, or hot new costume that makes them feel trapped or uncomfortable.
If you really want your fur baby to wear a cute costume, perhaps a matching one with you or the rest of the family, then try to build up to it far before the holiday. Consider buying the costume a year in advance when they’re on sale or readily available, and then a few months prior to the holiday let your dog or cat get used to the smell and sight of the costume before ever trying to put them in it. Once you do place the costume on them, only keep it on for a few minutes at first, perhaps doing several short sessions in a day or once per day. Slowly increase from there, always watching for signs of discomfort or anxiety.
If you can’t clearly tell that your dog or cat is doing well with this slow transition method or it appears to be causing them stress, then respect their boundaries and refrain from dressing them up. Our pets don’t understand that this is supposed to be fun and festive, and if they try to chew off or wiggle out of a costume, they could potentially be strangled, choked or injured in other ways.
Decorations
I will admit that decorating my home for Autumn is one of my favorite things to do. It’s my favorite season, and as a woman with Irish heritage, I really love Samhain (pronounced ‘sow-win’) and celebrating the end of the harvest and the transition to the cooler weather, when the earth prepares for her long slumber in order to begin anew in the spring. I’m really cautious about what I choose to decorate with, and here is what I consider when I do:
- Is it breakable? I like decorations made of glass such as pumpkins and gourds, but those decorations can easily be knocked off a mantle by a curious or conniving cat. If I’m going to choose a glass item, I make sure that it’s so heavy that a swipe of a paw cannot knock it down, or I put it in a place where the kitties can’t climb.
- Is it toxic? So many items are toxic in our homes, for us and our pets. Fabrics sprayed with flame retardants, painted with lead paint, or preserved with forever chemicals abound in our homes now. Holiday decorations are cranked out cheaply and quickly, and I know that quality materials usually aren’t going into them if I buy them at the bargain store. Instead, opt for making your own with unstained wood, organic cotton fabric, pet safe dried fruit and leaves, or actual pumpkins!
- Is it consumable? My cats and dogs (but mostly cats) WILL eat anything I leave out, whether it’s meant to be consumed or not. This means anything from strings or tufts on decorations to the cardboard amazon package that I set on the table before going to work. I always make sure that I don’t use a decoration that sits at kitty level with pieces that can be chewed off or consumed.
Snacks
Candy, candy candy! Kids love candy, and so do dogs and cats. The problem is, the brightly colored plastic wrappers and the sugary snacks within are both toxic to our furry family members (and us, but that’s not the point). Chocolate is in fact one of the few truly dangerous foods for pets, and consumption of even a few pieces of candy can be toxic. Likewise, those wrappers are enticing because they’re crunchy and crinkly, but they can lead to an intestinal obstruction. So please keep the bowl of candy far away from your pets. Better yet, be that annoying house that gives out healthy snacks or dollar store toys instead!
Wrapped candy isn’t the only danger. Many people have Halloween parties and make spooky themed dishes and snacks for guests. These of course are laid out on lovely patters displaying all the hard work and preparation that went into them before they get demolished by party goers. We want to make sure that if the food is left out, the pets are put away for their own safety.
Knock Knock, Who’s There?
The dreaded doorbell or door knocker… there are few things I dislike more than when someone knocks on my door. And no, it’s not because I’m antisocial… mostly! It’s because my dogs go absolutely bananas when someone arrives on our doorstep. I have a Great Pyrenees mix, a Golden Retriever, and a Catahoula Leopard mix, and trust me when I say that when they decide to join forces and alert me about the arrival of a stranger, the cacophony is deafening.
Many dogs view their home as their safe space, and they don’t like others invading their space. The reactions to countless strangers intruding in their territory could range from hiding, to barking, to the dreaded escape attempt. I have one of my three dogs fall into each category, and one time my dog did in fact dart out of our yard when the gate became unlatched somehow. I spent an hour frantically running through the neighborhood calling his name until I found him hiding on porch around the block. He was terrified, I was terrified, and I never want to experience that again.
Ways you can decrease the risk of these reactions are to familiarize your dog with the sound of the doorbell or knocking from puppyhood. Now, many of us adopt older dogs, and we can work on desensitizing them right away. Using positive reinforcement to encourage appropriate reactions when one comes to the door can be helpful. But at the end of the day, I’m a realist before anything else, and I know that I have not managed to improve my dogs’ reactions to people at the door so I can’t expect everyone else to. So, I create a safe space for them instead. They have their own room, which plays music or a movie or has a fan going. They have their beds, or toys, and they get fed and exercised beforehand, so they’re satiated and tired. Then I sit out on the porch and greet trick-or-treaters before they ever get close to the door.
I also make sure my dogs all wear their collars with their tags that have my contact information on them during the holidays. When my dog unexpectedly got out, he wasn’t wearing his collar because we weren’t going for a walk. The thought that he might be found by someone who would have no way to contact me nearly paralyzed me with fear. When in doubt, keep the collars out!
Wrapping It Up
Just like a candy wrapper…. ha! So the big take away here is that if a holiday decoration, food, or tradition isn’t compatible with your pet’s comfort or safety, then consider how you can remove your pet from the situation or simply remove the actual situation. I’ve significantly changed my decorating practices and traditions to prioritize their safety and mental health. We still have fun; it just looks a little different than it did before I became the luckiest dog and cat mom to my six furry little monsters. I hope you and your entire household, should they wear fur, fins or feathers (naturally or in costume!), have a fantastic and safe Howl-o-ween!
