Halloween Pet Safety

The 31st of October. Halloween night, is an exciting night for both adults and children alike. There’s fun to be had for all who want to get involved, whether it’s dressing in costume, going to parties or just going to a well organised bonfire. But spare a thought for the members of the household who may not be as excited about the time of year as we are.

A large amount of dogs become separated from their owners and become lost without trace every year around Halloween. There are a number of reasons for this but mostly it can be put down to the amount of unfamiliar noises and sights that are associated with Fireworks and other Halloween related activities. Fireworks sound a lot louder to your dog than they do to you, as dogs hear things very differently and on different frequencies. A sound that a person finds totally normal such as a vacuum cleaner may in fact upset a dog who is unfamiliar with the noise, as he is hearing it on a different frequency to the human ear.

For this reason items such as bangers and fireworks can often cause a domestic canine a large amount of distress. The sudden nature of the noise, combined with the frequency, and pitch, and possible flash of light in the case of fireworks can cause an animal to become frightened and disorientated. Where these conditions exist it is quite common that a dog will attempt to find a place of safety, and this is where the potential for a dog to become lost is created.

There are however, measures we can take to try and reduce the potential for this happening to our own much loved family pets. In the few nights before Halloween, and particularly on Halloween night, ensure your dog is secure within the home and is not out roaming the streets where he or she may become distressed. It may help to have them in the kitchen with the radio or TV on if possible as this may make the external noises less audible. In addition, in the case of domestic pets, the radio or TV will more than likely be a sound that they are familiar with. If you have found in previous years that your dog becomes extremely distressed and anxious it would be advisable to consult with your Veterinary Surgeon. He or she may decide that a light sedative is required in order to reduce the level of stress the animal is suffering.

If you do make the decision to bring your dog out in public on this particular night it is essential that you remain in effective control of the dog at all times, because you may not be able to control the environment or their reaction to it. A good quality, sturdy, well fitted collar and lead will be essential. Ensure your dog has a tag on his collar containing contact information for you should you become separated for any reason. In some cases, is it not advisable to put the dogs name on the collar as this can allow someone to become too familiar with the dog, should they find him or her. The tag can merely contain some contact information such as your name and phone number.

In addition to the tag on the collar, micro-chipping is now being used very effectively to reunite lost dogs and owners. Puppies registered with the Kennel Clubs are now required to be chipped within a few weeks of being born but your Veterinary Surgeon will advise  you as to how you can go about doing this for your existing pets who may not already be chipped. The chip is placed under the skin at the back of the neck and can be detected and read by a scanner. It is a reasonably cheap process, it will not require any surgery and is relatively painless for the animal. Animal Welfare Groups encourage the use of micro-chips as it helps them to re-home animals that come into their care.

Halloween can be safe for our pets provided we plan ahead to ensure their safety. Remember they rely on us to keep them secure from harm because they can’t do it for themselves.