Keeping your pets safe on Halloween

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Halloween is coming up and local officials are advising about different safety measures including pet safety.

“The treats come home and kids and mom and dad are all tired. They go to bed and Fido finds the candy,” said Elaine Painter, a local veterinarian.

Chocolate, fake sugars and raisins are dangerous for your pets to eat.

On holidays, many of us love to dress our pets up. But experts advise taking the costumes off your pet when you aren’t watching them closely.

“Don’t leave Fido in that costume. They can get paws hung. They can get things over their face so they can’t breathe,” said Painter.

Take pets inside over the weekend, even outdoor cats to keep nervousness to a minimum according to veterinarian Marcus Wisdom.

“It’s best to keep your pets in on Halloween night for many reasons. Lots of new people in your neighborhood walking through for candy. That can be very unsettling. Kids that think it’s fun to play pranks, whether it’s a black cat or just anybody’s pet that’s outside,” said Wisdom.

Wisdom encourages everyone to put a collar with a name tag on pets for the holiday weekend.

“Doorbells, knocking on the door, and just multiple people coming to the door, all that can cause a lot of anxiety on our pets. So one thing that we would say is that if that is something that doesn’t bother your pet, they are still okay to be out in the living area with you, but there is still a chance they may try to dash out of a door and run away,” said Wisdom.

Nervousness can actually make a pet physically sick.

“Even if they don’t get candy, you could still run into vomiting and diarrhea just from the stress of having so many knocks on the door,” said Wisdom.

Electrical wires from decorations and open flames in jack-o-lanterns can be dangerous for dogs and cats.

Experts also suggest putting pets in a secluded room with a quiet radio playing to help calm the nerves of pets who don’t like strangers at the door.