The Iams Company Offers Smart Pet Tricks for Safe Halloween Fun
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DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating Halloween with the whole family, including our four-footed family members, can be a handful. But, there are several tips pet owners can follow to make the night a safe and festive occasion for everyone involved -- doggy and kitty included.
"Many pet owners like to include their dog or cat in their Halloween celebrations, and pets enjoy being part of the family festivities as well," says Dr. Dan Carey, a veterinarian with The Iams Company. "Sadly, in the process, many owners do their four-legged friends a great disservice by dressing them in uncomfortable costumes or giving them rich, non-nutritional treats."
Carey suggests the following tips for ensuring a fun, healthy and safe holiday for your pet:
- Keep Halloween candy out of reach. Chocolate can be especially toxic
to pets.
- Toss out empty candy wrappers. If your pet ingests them, they could
cause upset tummies and in the case of foil wrappers, even cuts.
Contact your veterinarian if you suspect your pet has eaten wrappers.
- Don't trick your dog with the wrong treat. Have tasty nutritional
treats on hand like Iams(R) Biscuits or Eukanuba(R) Healthy Extras(TM).
- If you have an outdoor pet, consider bringing him in for the night --
some trick-or-treaters can take mischief too far and animals
unfortunately make easy targets.
- Do you have a nervous or aggressive dog? If so, keep her away from
your Halloween party and away from trick-or-treaters at the door to
ensure she doesn't slip outside when trick-or-treaters come calling.
- If you take your dog along trick-or-treating, make sure she's on a
leash. Even the tamest of dogs can get excited during Halloween
commotion.
- When choosing a costume for your pet, make sure the costume doesn't
restrict movement or hamper vision. Simple costumes are best.
Survey Says...
A recent survey from The Iams Company revealed that pet-owning American love dressing up their pets in Halloween costumes and taking them on the road for trick-or-treating. Of the nearly 500 people surveyed by the Iams Consumer Care team:
- 66 percent said they have dressed up their pet for Halloween.
- 25 percent have their pets accompany them for trick-or-treating.
- Those who dressed up their pets listed Pumpkin and Witch costumes as
most popular. Other costumes included Spongebob Squarepants, Superman
("superdog"), Buzz Light Year, Dracula, and the ever-popular reindeer
ears.
"With a little thought toward safety," Dr. Carey says, "pet owners can ensure a fun and happy Halloween for their entire family."
About The Iams Company
For nearly 60 years, The Iams Company, a division of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world- class quality foods and pet-care products. To learn more about Eukanuba(R) and Iams(R) Dog & Cat Foods and the Eukanuba Veterinary Diets(R) line of canine and feline therapeutic diets or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Consumer Care Center at (800) 863-4267. You also can visit us on the Web at http://www.iams.com/ or http://www.eukanuba.com/.
