Halloween Pet Safety

With only a few days until the scariest holiday in the calendar all of our staff here at Natural Cornish Pet are getting excited for a weekend of spooky surprises and hair-raising Halloween treats. However we are also aware that there are members of our households that don't appreciate the hullabaloo of Halloween quite as much as we do. With scary costumes making people unrecognisable, lots of unexpected sights and sounds, people ringing the doorbell unexpectedly throughout the evening and a plethora of sweets and chocolates around that can be deadly to our pets, it's no wonder some of our furry friends wouldn't like the festivities quite as much as we do. 

However, we have had many a Halloween that has been celebrated without our canine companions and feline friends feeling scared or anxious, as we have picked up a whole host of terrific tips on our dog welfare journey that can help to eradicate the fear. Today we will be sharing some of those tips with you, so you can have a spooktacular weekend without causing any distress to your pets. 

Dog Safety at Halloween

For some dogs Halloween can be a terrifying night but not in the fun way that we enjoy each year. For dogs, particularly those with a nervous disposition, people dressed up in costumes and constant unexpected knocks at the door alongside the other scary sights and sounds of this spooky night can be confusing and very frightening. However if you take a few simple steps Halloween can be a calm and collected night enjoyed by the whole family, including all of your furry friends. 

One of the most effective ways of preparing your dogs for any anxiety inducing events, is to make sure they are worn out beforehand. Take your dog for long walks and up the amount of walks on the day where possible. Using aids such as puzzle toys and throwables to give them extra exercise and reduce the amount of nervous energy in them can be effective ways of easily increasing the exercise. Puzzle toys can also be used throughout the night to keep your dogs attention away from the tricks and treats at the front door. 

With a lot more people visiting your house and many of them appearing to be strangers to your dog you may want to keep them away from the front door altogether, using stair gates to separate your dog can be effective as long as they have plenty of places to hide and toys to keep them distracted from the festivities. For particularly nervous animals that wouldn't cope with such large changes to their routine, why not put a carved pumpkin full of sweets and a sign saying something along the lines of “Nervous Dog Inside Please Do Not Knock: Help Yourselves If You DARE..!”. 

As most of you will already know, most sweets and chocolates are very harmful to animals' health if ingested, so it's vitally important to keep your pets away from human treats. It is also a nice idea to make sure you are stocked up with some treats for your dogs so they don't feel like they are missing out. Why not try some Green & Wilds Eco-Insect Bakes from Natural Cornish Pet for a suitably spooky treat this Halloween. 

Cat Safety at Halloween

Although most cats are better equipped at dealing with the disturbances on this frighteningly festive occasion, there are still a few things you can do to make their lives a little calmer on the night of the living dead. The main thing with our feline friends is to prevent them getting spooked and bolting. This can be easily done by keeping them in a safe and quiet room in the house, away from the front door and the potential for loud and sudden noises. You can also furnish this safe space with some special toys and treats so they keep themselves amused whilst you get down to some serious Halloween fun. You can also utilise catnip products such as Kong Catnip Spray to encourage them to stay in their safe space and have a calm and relaxing Halloween all night long.

Keeping your Pets Identifiable 

Last but by no means least, our final but perhaps most important tip of them all at this time of year, is making sure your pets are microchipped and have identifiers on their collars. If you've made the necessary precautions you shouldn't have to worry about the worst case scenario of your animal escaping in a fright, but if they do it's always good to know that when they are found that they will be returned to their rightful home. Microchipping and tags for collars are both inexpensive ways of making sure that the outside chance of being spooked doesn't lead to a preventable disaster at Halloween. 

For More Information About Microchipping From the RSPCA Click Here>

So this Halloween, to make sure that every member of your family stays safe and anxiety free, be sure to prepare your animals and your home so you can all enjoy this spectacularly spooky night of frightening fun to the max. At Natural Cornish Pet we have a great range of treats, chews and toys to keep your precious pets occupied this Halloween and help you to keep them safe and happy despite the horrors that may turn up at your doorstep.