Top 10 pet tips for Halloween, trick-or-treaters and fireworks
Halloween is an exciting night of fun for us humans but all those spooktacular masks, costumes and repeated knocks at the door can prove very frightening for our furry friends. So here are some handy tips to help make Halloween as stress-free as possible for you and your pet!
- Keep your treats safe – Halloween sweet treats are often toxic to our furry friends, so make sure you keep these out of the way.
- Leave your goody bowl outside – Frequent knocks on the door can upset our pets, so consider leaving a note on your door to let trick-or-treaters know you have a nervous pet indoors and let them take a treat without knocking. You can keep topping this up throughout the evening if needed.
- Create a safe space – Make sure your pet has a safe, cosy, hide-away. If you’re keeping your pet indoors for the night, make sure it’s secure and they won’t dash out the door if they become spooked!
- Microchipping – Make sure your pets are microchipped incase they do get get out.
- Walk dogs in the day time – This is a great way to avoid any scary costumes that might unsettle your dog, it also reduces the chances of hearing any fireworks and should help them settle more easily during the night after a good long walk.
- Avoid costumes – We strongly advise against putting your pets in any costumes/fancy dress. These are often restrictive and can cause your pet distress and the potential to overheat. It may be sensible to avoid fancy dress yourself if this spooks your pet! A nervous pet will appreciate as much familiarity as possible.
- Watch the decorations – Make sure any wires are safely out of the way and candles can’t be knocked over by your pets.
- Play gentle fireworks in the run up to the fireworks season – playing the sound of fireworks now and in the run up to Halloween/Bonfire night can help adjust your pet to those inevitable bangs. Introduce these sounds quietly, slowly and gradually build them up depending on how your pet responds.
- Small animals – Be sure to provide your small animals lots of extra bedding so they can burrow/hide if needed and consider bringing them indoors if you can. It’s work slowly introducing them to being indoors now to help them adjust.
- Calming products – We have lots of great chews/sprays/wipes and diffusers that are proven to help keep your pets calm, perfect for the Halloween/Fireworks season. Check out some of our top pet calming products, starting from as little as £6! Order online with us now or visit our Wade Street Animal Centre Shop.
