Keep your Pet Safe on Halloween

Halloween is a fun holiday for humans, but there are some things you should do to make sure it doesn't get scary for pets. Here are some tips that will help keep pets safe:

• Protect your pets on Halloween by keeping them indoors. A pet that's out at night with trick-or-treaters might get spooked by noises and costumes, which could cause him to run away.
• Cats should be kept indoors at all times, and if you have a solid black or solid white cat, you should be especially careful about keeping it indoors on Halloween. Some people are superstitious about cats and may try to scare or harm them.
• Keep pets confined and away from the door while you're greeting trick-ortreaters to prevent them from darting outdoors.
• Your dog may feel that his territory is being invaded by the constant onslaught of visitors. Keep your dog in a secluded area of the house to help him stay calm and prevent him from growling or possibly biting your visiting ghouls and goblins.
• Keep Halloween candy out of your pet's reach because it can make your pet sick. In fact, chocolate and raisins can be fatal to dogs. Instead, celebrate Halloween with goodies made especially for pets, like dog biscuits or cat treats.

In addition, who doesn't love dressing up their four-legged friend for the holiday? Here are some Halloween costume safety tips to prevent a frightfully dangerous night:

• Don't restrict your pet's ability to walk and sit down comfortably. If your dog looks miserable, she probably is.
• Don't make your pet wear a mask that covers her eyes, ears or nose.
• Don't put your pet in a costume that makes it difficult to breathe. This is especially important for flat-nosed dogs such as bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers and Pekinese.
• Always supervise your dog while in costume so she doesn't chew or eat any costume parts.