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Halloween Can Be Risky for Pets; Avoid Access to Candy, Chocolate

Humane Society of Elmore County News – 26 Oct ‘20

Rea Cord

Executive Director

Halloween is coming up this week which means lots of costumes, events and fun.  And while all of the parties, candy and costumes are fun for us humans, they do have special risks for our pets.  Candy may be loved by us humans but can sadly be deadly for our pets! Chocolate and the artificial sweetener Xylitol, found in many candies, can be toxic to pets not to mention the danger from swallowed candy wrappers & lollipop sticks!  Please keep all candies safely out of reach of your pets and don’t leave pets unattended with a big bowl of candy at the front door.  Also please make sure your children are aware that their Halloween Candy should NOT be shared with pets.  Perhaps make a special ‘pet candy bowl’ with small doggy or kitty treats that your children can safely share with them they have their own ‘treats.’

While we may think costumes on our pets are adorable, your pet might think elsewise.  If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume doesn’t constrict its movement, hearing or breathing.  Never leave a pet wearing a costume unattended and also check to make sure there are no dangling pieces that your pet could get caught in or chew on.  And if your pet seems distressed then please don’t force your pet to stay in a costume. 

If you are having a party, probably best to keep your pets in a separate room so they won’t become scared or even protective when they see humans in odd and scary costumes.  This will also help protect them from being fed inappropriate food, treats and candy by kind, but uninformed party guests.

Please also keep your pets in another room or part of the house if you are opening your door for trick-or-treaters!  It would be easy for a pet to escape and we certainly don’t want a pet to be freaked out by scores of children in all manner of costumes resulting in either a lost pet or, worse, a bite.  And make sure pets and ‘candle lit’ Halloween decorations are not left alone to help prevent an accidental fire!

Let’s make sure this week’s festivities are both fun and safe for our children and our pets, and hope everyone has a Spooktacular Halloween!

Rea Cord, M.S.

Executive Director

Humane Society of Elmore County

255 Central Plank Rd

Wetumpka, AL 36092

Ph: 334/567-3377

Fax: 334/567-8774

Email: hselco@bellsouth.net

Website: www.elmorehumane.org