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Pet Safety during HALLOWEEN

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Pet Safety during HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween! Let’s look at some ways to keep the festival of spookiness safe for our pets…

For humans, Halloween is a festival of fun! We go out trick-or-treating, we go to parties or we stay home and dig into our chocolates or other sugary treats. Sadly, lots of aspects of Halloween can pose some serious threats to our furry friends.

Here are some steps to help your festivities run as spook-free as possible.

Heading Out:

Comfy Costumes

Some owners won’t agree with dressing up their pets, some will. Depending on what breed your pet is, a costume may help to keep them nice and warm when they are outside. The most important factor to bear in mind when choosing a costume for your dog is: does it cause them discomfort in any way? If it obstructs their vision, their movement or their breathing, you should remove the costume immediately.

Visibility Outside

Halloween might be the only time of year where we enjoy being outside in the dark. Avoid nasty accidents by keeping your pet visible to drivers, cyclists or other walkers. This is something else a costume could help with. You can also buy special luminous jackets for dogs, as well as lights to stick onto their collars.

Microchip

If you haven’t already, the weeks leading up to Halloween are a great time to get your dog or cat microchipped. There are lots of scary costumes, lots of noise and there will be plenty of trick-or-treaters. This might distress your pet and tempt them to run away. If your pet runs off a little too far, you’ll have a much better chance of finding them if they are microchipped.

Trick-or-treating

If you take your dog trick-or-treating with you, we highly recommend you keep them on the lead. Fellow trick-or-treaters might have dropped some chocolate or other poisonous substances and you don’t want your dog snaffling that!

Staying In:

Guard Your Tasty Treats

Remember that chocolates, sweeteners and raisins can be highly poisonous to our pets. You should take extra care to stop them getting to it. Store your sweets in a high place, preferably somewhere closed off by a door. Watch out for any stray sweets or pieces of chocolate that might have fallen behind the couch or onto the floor while you gave it to trick-or-treaters.

Decorations

Halloween is a time of stuff … and lots of it. There are artificial cobwebs on the walls, hanging skeletons, pumpkins and that’s not to mention our costumes, masks and other little trinkets. Take extra care to keep anything your pets could swallow out of their reach, particularly sharp objects. You could establish a safe zone – a familiar, clutter-free room your pet can go to with their treats and feel safe.

A Relaxed Pet

This is another bonus of the safe zone. Perhaps choose the room furthest away from the trick-or-treaters to reduce your pet’s chances of hearing them when they come knocking.

If your pet is very stressed, a therapeutic product like Vetpro: Stress & Anxiety can help to calm them.

Keep Your Cat Inside

For a combination of the reasons above, it’s best for your cat to stay inside during Halloween. If they get itchy feet, you can entertain them with treats, toys and games. If you’re feeling really generous, you can try a combination of the 3!

We wish you and your pets a happy Halloween! If you are worried about any of the potential hazards in this post and need some further advice, contact us today to talk to one of our vets.

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Ellen Whale

Ellen Whale

Patient Care Assistant/ Receptionist
PCA

Ellen joined us in 2026 after previously working in another vet practice and an animal sanctuary.

She loves horses and has two of her own called Molly and Abbie.  she also has four dogs who she enjoys walking in the Norfolk countryside. 

Adri Rossouw

Adri Rossouw

Locum Veterinary Surgeon
BVSc CertAVP (FelMed) MRCVS

Adri qualified as a Vet Surgeon in South Africa in May 1992 before moving to the UK in 1998.  She was partner in a small animal vet practice in Norfolk before retiring in May 2023.  She missed working with animals so now works as a locum part time.  She brings a wealth of experience to the team.  She achieved a CertAVP Small Animal Medicine (feline medicine) certificate in 2023.  She also enjoys orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery. 

Outside work Adri enjoys gardening, cycling and walking as well as being involved in the Gateway Church in Kings Lynn.  Adri has a tuxedo cat called Karolus and the village peacock Bob has claimed her garden.

Helen Manson

Veterinary Surgeon
BVM&S CertVOphthal MRCVS

Helen moved to Norfolk after graduating from Edinburgh Vet School in 2003. After working in practices around King’s Lynn, she joined the practice in 2023.


Helen enjoys small animal medicine and has a special interest in Ophthalmology. Helen gained her post graduate RCVS certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2012 and offers internal and external referrals for eye cases at the practice.


Outside of work, Helen is kept busy with her three children, Daisy the Labrador and Maggie the cat. She is married to Liam.

Ben Mcdonnell

Clinical Director & Veterinary Surgeon
BVSc, BSc, Cert AVP (GSAS)MRCVS

Following his graduation from Liverpool University in 2008 Ben returned to his roots in Cumbria, where he spent a short period working in mixed practice, before making the decision to work solely as a small animal veterinarian. He moved to Norfolk in 2022, when he joined our team at Swaffham, becoming a clinical director in 2025. Ben enjoys all aspects of first opinion small practice work, but especially enjoys the surgical side of the job and achieved the Royal College Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (General Small Animal Surgery) in 2021.


Outside work Ben is often found exploring the Norfolk countryside and coastline with his son Joey. His other interests include mountain biking, walking, running and more recently paddle boarding.

Emily Neep

Veterinary Surgeon
BVetMed BSc(hons) MRCVS

Emily joined Swaffham Veterinary Centre in 2023, having worked as a vet in Wales. Originally from Norfolk, she was very excited to move back home! She has a keen interest in exotic animal care and also is trained in acupuncture.


In her spare time, Emily enjoys exploring her creative side with various craft projects, from crochet to jewellery making and can often be heard singing along to her favourite musical (much to the nurse’s dismay!). She has always had pets at home, ranging from various cats and dogs to a pet toad!

Liam Manson

Clinical Director & Veterinary Surgeon
BVM&S GPCert (SAS) MRCVS

Liam founded Swaffham veterinary Centre in 2014, having worked in mid-Norfolk since graduating from Edinburgh University in 2003.  He completed a surgical certificate in 2007 and continues to have a keen interest in surgery but does enjoy the variety that a busy first opinion small animal practice gives each day.

Out of work Liam enjoys spending time with his wife and children, who all enjoy travelling in the UK and abroad.  he also enjoys exploring the beautiful Norfolk countryside with his Labrador Daisy.  When given the opportunity Liam is a keen gardener.