Now that we have a new puppy here, I’m realizing more than ever how the changing of the seasons and holidays has an impact on pets. It simply does. Whether it’s the craziness of house guests and travel during the late fall and winter holidays, or the constant ringing of the doorbell for Halloween, we really need to think about our pets right now, and how to help!
Halloween Safety Tips and Tricks:
1 – Keep that treat bowl out of reach! There are many treats that can sicken or kill your pets, including chocolate (especially dark chocolate), hard candy, raisins and grapes, macadamia nuts, xylitol and more.
2 – Educate your children about keeping treats from pets. I never let down my guard, but there are conversations we have about what can hurt our pets with both kids and Scarlet (age 9) knows how important it is to protect them.
3 – Keep your pets away from the front door! My lovely, polite and wonderful dogs are also top-notch escape artists. Many times, we have chased them around and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go.
4 – Don’t take your pets trick-or-treating. You never really know how your pets will react to strangers in costumes. Just like your kids! Also, there are ample opportunities to steal candy and/or run away when trick-or-treating.
5 – Make sure your pet’s ID is current. Athena has a microchip, and we have to make sure the contact information is current, and that she’s wearing her ID tag on her collar. If she does escape, we want people to know she’s ours.
6 – Beware of electrical wires and cords. In this house, we do put out Halloween lights and decorations, but the dogs go on little chewing binges if we’re not careful. An electrical shock is very dangerous to pets.
7 – Give them their own treats, of course. Why would they feel left out about the candy bars, when they have their own special pumpkin treats?
In our house, it’s FELIWAY® CLASSIC for cats and ADAPTIL® for dogs. FELIWAY® CLASSIC mimics the natural feline facial pheromone that cats use to mark their territory as safe and secure. This helps cats cope with stressful situations, like loud noises, trick-or-treaters, and parties. You’ll love it because it creates a state of familiarity and security, and that helps to comfort and reassure cats as they cope with these stressful situations. And it might lead to the reduction or elimination of unwanted stress-related behaviors, like hiding, scratching, and urine spraying. It’s also non-sedating and has no contraindications.
FELIWAY® CLASSIC Spray can be applied to your cat’s bedding or favorite toy to reduce stress at home. We also use FELIWAY® Classic Diffusers in our house. I keep one spray and one diffuser plugged in by our Halloween decorations.
Then there’s ADAPTIL® for Athena and Astro. This is a copy of the natural canine-appeasing pheromone that dogs know from birth, and that helps them feel more safe and secure in their surroundings. It creates a state of familiarity and security, which helps to comfort and reassure dogs when they cope with stressful situations – like loud noises, travel, and vet visits – and is clinically proven to reduce or eliminate unwanted stress-related behaviors like excessive licking, hiding, trembling, barking, destroying items, decreased appetite, and house soiling. Halloween can be a stressful time for dogs.
ADAPTIL® comes in several easy-to-use forms, like a diffuser for ADAPTIL® to apply to your dog’s bedding or toys and ADAPTIL® Calm On-the-go Collar for traveling. There is also an ADAPTIL® diffuser. Athena uses the collar.
With decorations like these, you should always be prepared for pet stress. We wouldn’t keep such decorations if our pets were suffering, or if we didn’t have a plan to manage the stress and anxieties of this Halloween season.
ADAPTIL® and FELIWAY® products are available through your veterinarian, Amazon and at PetSmart. To find ADAPTIL® near you, check it out here. You can also find FELIWAY® near you here.
Do your pets have stress and anxiety around Halloween time?
