These days our pets are considered our children. On Halloween, nothing is cuter than a dachshund
in a hotdog costume or a bulldog pirate.
I love dressing up my dogs on Halloween and get quite a laugh when they
parade around as a superhero, princess, or clown. This time of year you can find a rack of pet
costumes in almost every pet store. As
an alternative, many people make their own creative pet costumes. It is fun to include our dogs and cats in
this playful holiday.
To keep Halloween a fun event, remember the potential
risks.
If your dogs bark and lunge when the doorbell rings, close
them in another room with a food dispensing toy, put up a baby gate, or keep
them on leash. A fearful dog will be terrified
of all the noise and costumes and might do better in another room with the
television on, to drown out some of the noise.
Keep in mind that chocolate, raisins, and xylitol (a
sugar-free sweetener) are toxic to dogs.
Not only is it important to keep the candy out of their reach on
Halloween but also in the weeks that follow when kids have candy stashed in
their bedrooms, backpacks, and secret hiding places.
Many dogs and cats
escape from their homes unnoticed on Halloween.
Make sure they are wearing an identification tag or are
microchipped. Sadly, dogs and cats can
be the butt of cruel jokes on Halloween.
Black cats are notoriously targeted.
Keep your dogs and cats inside to avoid any problems.
I hope you and your four-legged friends have a fun
Halloween. Most dogs I know are more
than happy to perform a trick to get a treat!
Dr. Kristel Weaver is a
graduate of the Veterinary School at the University of California, Davis where
she received both a DVM and a Master’s of Preventative Veterinary Medicine
(MPVM). She has been at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care
in San Ramon since 2007. She currently lives
in Oakland with her husband and their daughter, Hayley. If you have questions
you would like Dr. Weaver to answer for future articles, please email info@webvets.com
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