Veterinarian shares safety tips for pets on Halloween night

Halloween is Thursday, with scary decorations, kids in costumes and plenty of candy. Experts say it's not just children's safety people need to think about; four-legged friends also need some help.

D. Mike Ackerley, a veterinarian with the Tartan Tails Veterinary Hospital in Dartmouth, N.S., says trick-or-treaters ringing doorbells can especially be disruptive to pets on Oct. 31.

“So something you want to think about – if you can kind of keep your pet in a quieter area, maybe in a separate room with music on, something like that, to kind of help them out,” he said during an interview on CTV Morning Live Atlantic.

“If they get super stressed and you have a relationship with your veterinarian, you can talk with them about getting some sedatives or something to kind of ease that stress for them on that night, being able to anticipate it can be huge for them.”

Dogs aren’t the only pets that can benefit from going into a separate area of people’s homes.

“As that door is opening and closing, we get those cats that want to try and escape and explore the outdoors, so again think about them in a separate area where as that door is opening and closing you don’t need to worry about them escaping as well. It’s a good idea,” Ackerley said.

The veterinarian says anyone thinking about taking their dog outside trick-or-treating should consider the same safety tips when it comes to humans.

“Making sure that they’ve got some reflective things on, so you can get a reflective harnesses or vests, leashes also can be reflective now – there’s also the little light up things that will attach to their collar so you can see them as well,” he said.

“It’s not the proper thing or right thing for every dog to go trick-or-treating with all the costumes and the masks and things. It may be a nerve-wracking thing for them, so the safest thing may be for them to be at home in a safe spot where they’re not afraid of what’s going on out there.”

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When it comes to pets ingesting candy, Ackerley says the toxicity depends on the amount and the type.

“The big two things that we think about on Halloween is going to be chocolate… the darker the chocolate the worse it is. And then the other thing that people may not be thinking about also is artificial sweeteners like xylitol that are in a lot of the candies and things and those can be toxic to animals as well,” he said.

Ackerley recommends people contact their local emergency hospital for advice if their pet ingests candy.

“You may have to take them in depending on how much they consume and also the wrappers as well,” he said. “If they eat a lot, depending on the size of the dog, can be at risk of getting stuck in there as well.”

While likely not as popular with kids on Halloween, Ackerley says people should keep raisins away from their pets, too.

“The little boxes of raisins, raisins can be toxic as well,” he said. “I don’t think I see them as much in my kids Halloween bags, but that is another thing that can happen.”