How To Keep Your Dog Safe This Halloween!

Halloween can be a fun time to dress up your dog and have them go trick or treating with you but it's also important to remember that there are many dangers to dogs associated with this night. 

Here are some tips for keeping your pup safe this Halloween. 

1) Costumes are cute but be careful. Avoid dressing your pup in clothing that could restrict their movement, sight or breathing.  A dog may over heat, get his costume caught on something or even chew part of it off and end up ingesting it! Supervise your pup always and keep costume wearing to a minimum.

2) You are more like to give your pup a treat at on a day like Halloween or Christmas than any other night! Make sure any treats given to your pup are sized appropriately so as not to cause an obstruction if swallowed whole. Avoid anything that contains rawhide or is laden with sugar or fat. 

3) Keep all human sweets well out of reach until after Halloween night is over;   no one wants to be rushing their pet to the vet with stomach poisoning or a blockage caused by wrappers or lollipop sticks. A common ingredient in human sweets is Xylitol - this causes a drop in blood sugar and can cause seizures in dogs. Be vigilant.

4) Avoid night time walks. The streets are likely to be busier than usual and whilst lots of dogs are used to people wearing masks, many are still unsettled by it. What’s more, with fireworks on sale it is likely that families will start setting them off. Keep your dog safe indoors after 6pm.

5) With more knocks on the door than usual, even the calmest dog could become unsettled. If your dog is to bolt through an open door scared, make sure he is wearing ID. The legal requirement for an ID tag is owner surname, first line and last line of address. We also recommend adding a photo number in there too. Maybe check that his microchip is registered to you too.

 6) Pumpkins look great but are also irresistible to some dogs as a snack! Although non toxic, eating lots of raw pumpkin can cause gastrointestinal upset or worse a blockage if chunks are swallowed whole. Try our favourite Pumpkin and Carrot Pupcake recipe below instead!

Pumpkin and Carrot Pup Cakes

These are a big hit in our house all year round! 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt

Topping

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 2 oz peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• Grated carrot or mini bones to decorate (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees centigrade.
2. Whisk all the ingredients (not topping ingredients!) together in a medium bowl until well incorporated.
3. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop batter into a lined 6-muffin tin.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm.
5. Place all of the ingredients for the frosting in a bowl and mix well.
6. Pipe or spoon the frosting onto cooled cupcakes and let your pup enjoy!

About the Author

Sarah is a long time dog owner, lover and has completed many courses in dog training and dog behaviour. She has a special interest in canine nutrition.