From loud trick-or-treaters to open doors for candy distribution, a busy Halloween can overwhelm pets, especially if they are prone to nervous behavior, willing to eat anything, or a little too curious. Help your four-legged friend stay safe on the spookiest night of the year with these tips to avoid emergency veterinarian visits.

How Can I Keep My Pet Safe on Halloween This Year?

1. Install Baby Gates

Ensure your dog doesn’t run out the door when you open it for trick-or-treaters with baby gates. Use them to section off areas of your home to help your pooch feel safe. Do not leave the animal in your yard since mean-spirited pranksters may tease or even try to injure the animal.

Close your front vestibule if you have a cat while distributing candy or place the feline in a back room. Also, get your pets microchipped if you haven’t already in case they run out despite your best efforts.

2. Work With Flameless Candles

Use flameless candles with light bulbs instead of the real thing. Curious pets can knock over candles, causing them to set furniture or carpeting on fire. Candle flames can also singe pet noses, whiskers, and facial fur and hair. Keep the flameless candle tradition going throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas for pet-safe holidays.

3. Keep Candy & Glow Sticks Out of Reach

Stash all candy and glow sticks in locations where your pets cannot get them no matter how hard they try, such as in cabinets or on top of tall tables. While all candy can cause upset pet tummies, chocolate is toxic in large amounts and may require emergency veterinarian visits for stomach pumping. Glow stick ingestion also poses health risks such as excessive salivating and behavioral issues.

4. Use Caution With Costumes

Avoid dressing your pets in any type of restrictive costume that cuts into their necks, underarms, or bellies. Make certain the costumes fit comfortably and come free of small embellishments your pets can possibly chew and choke on. Your furry family members should be able to see, smell, hear, and eat normally in your selected costumes. 

If your pet needs emergency vet care during the holiday season or any other time, trust the animal to Rolling Hills Veterinary Hospital. Veterinarians provide pet care at two convenient locations in Columbia, MO, with services including spaying, neutering, grooming, boarding, and laser surgery. Call (573) 449-7387 for the Buttonwood Drive location or (573) 449-3791 for the Keene Street location to schedule an appointment, or visit the veterinarians online for more service information.