How to Keep Your Pet Safe on Halloween

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How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween Pet City Canada

 

Halloween is a time for kids to get dressed up as their favorite princess or scariest character and go out to collect candy from neighbours and friends. This cherished holiday, by kids and adults alike, can lead to a night full of sugar, fun, and memories.  Costumes, forbidden treats, scary sights, and loud noises are not as exciting for pets; this night can actually be traumatizing and dangerous for pets when precautions are not made to keep them safe. The following are some tips on how to keep your pet(s) safe on Halloween.

 

  1. Keep Animals Confined

    How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween Pet City CanadaSome people live in condensed neighborhoods where they could get as many as 500 trick-or-treaters on a given Halloween night! For those of us who have dogs who react every time a someone comes to the door, can you imagine the doorbell ringing this many times could cause distress!  Again, the noise and racket this creates could lead to a lot of anxiety for pets.  Add on the sight of odd costumes and you could have a recipe for disaster.  Pets could take this opportunity to bolt out or respond in a protective manner, not knowing the difference between real danger and a dress up event.  Although 500 doorbell rings may seem to be exaggerating and not realistic for your neighborhood, keep in mind that just a few knocks and rings may be too many for your pet.  The best thing to do is keep your pets away from the constant opening and closing of your front door, preferably in a crate or at least in another room they can’t get out of.  Make sure your pet has a spot they can get cozy in, and hopefully with a toy or blanket that they are familiar with for a sense of security.

 

  1. Stay Away From the Treats

    We may all have a goal of avoiding the mini candy bars and tootsie rolls our kids bring home on this evening, but more importantly, you need to ensure your pet doesn’t get into these tasty treats. Many treats contain xylitol which can be toxic for dogs and cats.  In addition, chocolate poisoning can be lethal and not something a pet owner wants to endure.  It’s also important to ensure candy wrappers get put away so that your furry friends don’t ingest the packaging, which could lead to a life-threatening bowel obstruction.

How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween Pet City Canada

  1. Loud Scary Noises

    The loud crackling of fireworks is a common noise on a Halloween evening. Animals are often quite frightened by these loud noises and with heightened sensitivity, these events can lead to high stress and anxiety. As we cannot prevent this experience, it is important to know how to protect our precious pets during these situations.  First of all, ensuring your pet is confined so they don’t respond to the noise by fleeing is crucial.  Keeps dogs and cats inside and other small animals in their protected cages.  Dogs and cats will retreat to different hiding places throughout your home, so ensure these exist and allow them to go there as they wish. Next, closing windows and curtains and playing music or having the TV on will help in muffle the sound.  With small animals in cages such as rabbits or guinea pigs, you can place a blanket over the cage to muffle the sound even further.  Remember that animals such as dogs require reassurance from their owner, therefore ensuring you stay calm is important to send them the message that everything will be ok.

 

  1. Identification! 

    While our intentions are hopefully always in the right place, and no responsible pet owner would want anything negative to happen to their pet on Halloween night, accidents do happen.  As previously discussed, pets can be spooked quite easily with all the chaos and the natural tendency is for them to flee.  In case this does happen, it is so important to make sure your pets have proper identification on them.  A tag with name and number of the owner, or even a microchip, will lead to an easier time locating a pet that has fled further than intended.

How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween Pet City Canada

 

Halloween is meant to be a fun and safe occasion. You can help make keep it that way by following these guidelines to ensure your pet’s safety. If you are really worried about the anxiety level in your pet on Halloween you could always try leaving a bowl of candy outside of your door, to avoid having multiple knocks throughout the night. Stay safe and have fun!

5 Benefits of Regular Dog Grooming

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There are so many luxuries available to pets these days that most of us may roll our eyes at such as themed pet parties, pawdicures, fur extensions, and private personal training (no, not behavioral training, but personal training to help those dogs that have a few extra pounds to lose and need the support of a professional!).  These extravagant services may be out of reach for those of us that don’t reside on Hollywood’s popular block, but regular grooming, albeit a trip to the puppy spa, is a responsibility all dog owners have. Having your pets regularly groomed is not only beneficial for esthetics, but for their overall health. Professional groomers (like the two amazing gals we have at Pet City Canada!) are trained to look detect health ailments as a part of the grooming process. So, if you think grooming is done just to get rid of Rover’s odour, think again; we’ve compiled a list of 5 important benefits of having your dog regularly groomed by a trained professional.

  1. Early Detection of Health Problems (Prevention)

A professional groomer will look for abnormalities with your dog’s anatomy such as lumps, rashes, lesions, inflammation, or infections that a dog owner may not notice right away.  Therefore, when you take your dog to a groomer regularly, there is a greater chance that early warning signs of health complications will be noticed. Just like in humans, the earlier problem is found the easier it is to treat and the greater chance of recovery.

Remember as a dog owner, preventative health care also includes annual physical exams with your Veterinarian, proper nutrition, regular exercise, parasite control, dental care, and of course lots and lots of love.

Pet City Canada - 5 Benefits of Regular Dog Grooming

  1. Maintaining Beautiful Healthy Fur Coat and Skin

It’s safe to assume that the majority of humans would not choose to go out with matted, dandruff-filled hair.  It’s also safe to assume that dogs don’t particularly like this, however, they aren’t able to just hop in the shower for a good scrub, brush, and blow-out their hair on their own!  As a responsible dog owner, apart from taking your dog to the groomer regularly, it is crucial that you brush their fur regularly and bath them immediately if they have found a messy treasure to roll around in.

Regular brushing (every few days) is crucial to avoiding mats in their fur.  Mats are balls of knotted hair that end up pulling the skin tight and causing discomfort and even pain.  Besides extreme discomfort, mats can lead to serious problems such as skin ulcers or abrasions. Brushing your dog regularly will also help to bring out the natural oils in the dog’s fur while removing dead hair, dirt, and dandruff.  The oils brought out during a good brush will give the coat a healthy shine.

The benefits of bathing your dog, with of course the most appropriate pet shampoos, include stimulating the dog’s circulatory system.  Who doesn’t like the mini head massage your hair dresser gives you during your appointment?!  Regular baths will keep your pet’s skin clean and healthy.

  1. Healthy Nails

Pet City Canada - 5 Benefits of Regular Dog GroomingNot only do long nails contribute to joint pain, but they are also the leading cause of chiropractic problems in dogs.  Keeping nails trimmed and preventing them from curling, will stop germs from accumulating; this is another step in the prevention of further health complications. In addition, this will avoid a common dog owner’s frustration of floor scratching. Investing in proper nail clippers for your dog will make the process of keeping their nails trimmed much easier.

 

 

 

 4.     Less Hair, Better Aroma

Is it possible to have a pleasant smelling, clean house when you own dogs?  Regular dog grooming will keep your dog clean and smelling good, so your home doesn’t pick up the “dirty dog” odour. Also, regular grooming and brushing will remove much of the loose hair stuck in your dog’s fur, so the process of shedding becomes more controlled.  Apart from picking out the perfect hairbrush for your fur baby, if you have a dog that seems to shed non-stop, make sure you check out the de-shedding tools available in today’s pet market.

While the extra hair and dirt are eliminated through regular brushing, we are also eliminating the chance for fleas and ticks to take up home in the extra debris. Humans can catch illnesses from these parasites, so regular grooming will protect your family’s health too!

5.     Mental Health

Of course, we all know it’s what is on the inside that counts. But really, just like humans, when a dog feels they are looking good, with good hygiene, and a tidy haircut, they feel good! The better the mental state, the better the behaviour. A happy dog will be friendlier, more predictable, and more energetic. And of course, happy dog = happy owner.

Pet City Canada - 5 Benefits of Regular Dog Grooming

 

As you can see, there are many benefits of having your pet(s) regularly groomed, not only for them but for your whole family. Our groomers, Cori and Lara, have over 45 years of combined experience. If you have any questions about grooming your pet(s), they would be happy to help you.