It’s that spooky time of year again, when all those internal debates about what costume you’ll wear are now at a crucial decision time … and possibly that includes a costume selection for Fido or Kitty!
If you are planning on decorating your pet with a costume, make sure it fits and is comfortable for them. Do some warm-up dressing up to make sure it will work on the big night. Masks are not a good idea as they may limit vision. If you are going to walk around with your costumed pet, be sure they can be restrained, in case they interpret the situation as being scary and needing an aggressive response. Your responsibility as an owner is to assure the safety of the public as well as your animal.
Use reflective tape on the costume to keep them very visible in headlights.
Halloween can be a very stressful time for pets, when the doorbell starts ringing and the trick or treaters are roaming the streets. If your pet doesn’t handle the commotion well, think about putting them in a room with a radio playing or a loud fan running and their favorite bedding and toys.
Candy can be super tempting for dogs, so watch they don’t cram a treat bag in their mouth and then chew and choke. Chocolate is also very bad for dogs, and really— you don’t want them eating candy anyway, it affects their liver, could lead to pancreatitis and can make them very sick. Have a couple dog biscuits on hand to offer as replacements.
Cats think the whole Halloween celebration is not something they want to participate in anyway, so give them a quiet alternative place to be. If you just have to stick Kitty in a cute costume, do it in the safety of your home, take a picture and let them be.
Halloween is really meant for people, so take good care of your pets and keep the treats, not the tricks!
Jennifer J. Heller is the Environmental Health Specialist with the Brown County Health Department
Jennifer J. Heller is the Environmental Health Specialist with the Brown County Health Department
