Important Halloween Safety Tips For Pet Parents

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Halloween pet safety tips

We hope everyone is getting ready for a super fun and spooky evening of parties & trick-or-treating! Just wanted to give you a few reminders and tips to help keep your pets safe this Halloween:

The Door: Holidays like this one can be stressful for fur kids with lots of ghouls and goblins knocking on the door and ringing the bell. The last thing you want is to spend your Halloween searching for your lost pet because they got scared and bolted when the door was open. Even if your dog or cat isn’t ordinarily a door dasher, consider putting pets in the bedroom or use a baby gate to keep them safe and more relaxed.

ID Tags: I know lots of people don’t make their pets wear their collars once they are in for the night, but on the off chance that your dog or cat does make a run for it, you’ll want to be sure they are wearing their ID tag with your current contact information. Better safe than sorry!

Candles: Avoid the risk of your fur kid burning their nose, paws or tail by using flameless candles to illuminate that carved pumpkin you worked so hard on. It’s safer for the human kiddos traipsing around in costumes, too!

Glow Sticks: If you decide to use glow sticks in your pumpkin or your kiddos are carrying them instead of flashlights, be sure not to let the dog get a hold of them or they can end up with a big tummy ache! Make sure that you use glow sticks labeled “non-toxic” if you decide to go that route.

Candy: You probably already know that chocolate is dangerous for dogs, but also watch out for any sugar-free treats since the ingredient Xylitol can also be toxic. And don’t stop being vigilant once Halloween is over…we all know that kids (and parents) like to stash some candy away in their favorite hiding place and you don’t want the fur kid sniffing around and getting a hold of it later!

Emergency Pet Info: Always make sure to keep the ASPCA 24 Hour Animal Poison Control Hotline phone number handy. Order a FREE fridge magnet here for the future, and write it down for now. It’s 888-426-4435. And be sure to find out ahead of time, the address, location and phone number of a local after-hours emergency pet clinic or 24 hour animal hospital. This is also important year-round and not just at holidays like Halloween, and can save time in an emergency when every second counts!

Anxiety: Despite your best efforts, your pet may be super stressed on Halloween, so be prepared with a few calming aids. We like ThunderShirt and ThunderSpray (available for both dogs and cats) as well as Through a Dog’s Ear: Music to Calm Your Canine Companion (you get the MP3 album for free instantly when you order the CD). We also keep a bottle of Bach Pet Rescue Remedy on hand (you can pick it up at Whole Foods if you want it today).

Top 5 Pet Poisons That May Be In Your Home Right Now

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Each year, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Hotline receives thousands of calls from pet parents concerned about what their dog or cat may have eaten, whether it’s poisonous, and what to do about it. They’ve recently updated their list with the top pet toxins that they received calls about in 2012.

pet-poison-control-aspca

Top 5 Pet Poisons Found at Home:

1. Prescription Human Medications: Careful not to drop any pills! Most common calls were for heart medications (blood pressure pills), antidepressants and pain meds.

2. Insecticides: Always read the label before using any insecticide on your pet, in your home or in your yard.

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications: acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen as well as herbal products and supplements (fish oil, joint supplements).

4. Veterinary Products and Medications: both OTC and prescription veterinary products (watch out for flavored tabs, too).

5. Household Products: anything from fire logs to cleaning products.

You can view the full top 10 pet poisons list plus find out what to do if you think your pet has been poisoned at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Also checkout this recent post for info on getting your free pet safety pack from ASPCA.

Free ASPCA Pet Safety Pack for Poison Awareness Month

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Free Pet Safety Pack

The ASPCA website is an amazing resource for pet parents, animal lovers and kids, too! They’ve got free kids printables and games, lists of people food to avoid feeding your pets, and loads more tips, tools and info.

It’s Poison Awareness Month, so it’s the perfect chance to snag this Free Pet Safety Pack from the ASPCA, too!

In the event of an emergency like a fire or disaster, the pet rescue window decal alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. And the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet is a great way to keep the toll-free emergency number and website address handy in case your pets get into something they shouldn’t!

People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets + Free Pet Safety Kit

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aspca cat

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and there were lots of reminders about keeping the chocolates away from the fur kids, but do you know what other foods you should avoid feeding your pets? The ASPCA website has tons of free pet safety resources, tips and articles to keep your pets  healthy including this List of People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.

pet-safety-kit

There’s also a great freebie to help keep your pets safe! Get your free pet safety pack from the ASPCA. In the event of an emergency, the pet rescue window decal alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. The safety pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet—a great way to keep their toll-free emergency number and website address handy in case your pets get into something!

Free Pet Safety Pack from ASPCA + List of Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets

Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

free pet safety pack from ASPCA

Here’s a great freebie to help keep your pets safe! Get your free pet safety pack from the ASPCA. In the event of an emergency, the pet rescue window decal alerts rescue personnel that pets are inside your home. The safety pack also includes an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center magnet—a great way to keep their toll-free emergency number and website address handy in case your pets get into something!

free pet safety sticker and magnet pack from ASPCA

You can also visit the ASPCA website for more free info, tips and resources to keep your pets safe and healthy including this List of Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.