Keeping Your Dogs and Cats Safe on Halloween 🎃🐾

Halloween is full of fun and excitement for people—but for pets, it can be stressful, confusing, and sometimes dangerous. Between constant doorbell rings, strangers in costumes, and tempting treats lying around, it’s important to plan ahead to keep your furry family members safe and comfortable.

Here are some essential tips to help your dogs and cats stay calm and protected this spooky season.

🏡 Keeping Pets Safe and Calm

• Keep Them Indoors
  Always keep your pets inside during Halloween night. The noise, costumes, and increased foot traffic can cause pets to panic and run. Sadly, there are also occasional reports of pets being teased, harmed, or stolen. Indoors is the safest place to be.

• Update Identification
  Accidents happen, and pets can slip out the door during the chaos of trick-or-treating. Make sure your pet’s collar has an ID tag with current contact info. If your pet is microchipped, log into the registry to confirm your information is up to date. Having a recent photo of your pet can also be helpful if they go missing.

• Create a Safe Space
  Provide a quiet, cozy spot away from the door. Set them up with their bed, favorite toys, water, and perhaps a treat or chew to keep them occupied. If your pet is crate-trained, their crate can be a safe retreat during the hustle and bustle.

• Use Calming Aids if Needed
  Calming supplements, pheromone sprays or diffusers, CBD treats, calming collars, or anxiety wraps can help reduce stress. Every pet is different—talk to your vet about what works best for yours.

• Costume Considerations
  While pet costumes are cute, not all pets enjoy them. If you dress your pet up, make sure the costume doesn’t restrict breathing, movement, hearing, or vision. Always supervise, and remove the costume if your pet seems anxious. Remember—comfort comes before cute.

• Human Costumes Can Be Scary Too
  Dogs and cats may be confused or frightened by masks, face paint, wings, capes, or horns. Keep this in mind if your pet reacts nervously, and give them space away from guests in costumes.

🍬 Halloween Treats Pets Should NEVER Eat

Halloween candy is dangerous for pets. Keep all candy, wrappers, and glow sticks well out of reach.

• Chocolate – Contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs (and cats, though they’re less likely to eat it). Dark chocolate is especially dangerous.

• Xylitol (in sugar-free candy & gum) – Extremely toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. It can cause seizures, liver failure, and death.

• Raisins & Grapes – Just a few can cause kidney failure in dogs.

• Macadamia Nuts & Other Nuts – Macadamia nuts can cause vomiting, tremors, and weakness. Other nuts are high in fat and can cause digestive issues or pancreatitis.

• Hard Candy & Wrappers – A choking hazard and can cause dangerous intestinal blockages.

• Alcohol – Even small amounts can poison pets.

• Glow Sticks – Non-toxic but have a bitter taste that causes drooling, gagging, and stress if punctured. Rinse your pet’s mouth and offer fresh water if they chew one.

🐕👻 Final Thoughts

Halloween should be fun for the whole family—including your pets. By keeping them safely indoors, minimizing stress, being mindful with costumes, and keeping toxic treats out of reach, you can make sure the night is safe and happy for everyone.

At J-B Pet Supplies, we love celebrating Halloween too—but we also want to help keep pets safe. Stop by our Oakland or Hawthorne stores for fun, safe Halloween toys and themed treats your pets can enjoy worry-free!