It's that time of year again! People everywhere are starting to prepare for Halloween, perhaps thinking about traveling or having company for the holidays. While this is a very festive time of year it's also a prime time for your pet to be injured or poisoned. The following tips can help keep your pet safe this holiday season!

-Bring your pet indoors during the time you expect trick-or-treaters.
-Chocolate is deadly in almost every animal, make sure you hide it well and keep your candy dish up.
-Candy wrappers can be very dangerous to animals, especially small ones.
-Animal costumes should fit well and now have chewable surfaces, and never force your animal to wear a costume if they aren't cooperative.
-Do not feed poultry bones to your animals as they pose a choking hazard.
-Avoid using toxic plants indoors or in the pet's territory. Poisonous holiday plants include the popular poinsettias and mistletoe.
-Anchor your Christmas tree to the wall, especially if you have cats.
-Do not hang candy canes or other edible decorations on your tree.
-While we're on the topic of decoration, never use tinsel in houses with animals, especially cats and reptiles.-Consider placing your tree in a location where reptiles won't be tempted to munch on the branches and your dogs won't be tempted to ingest the lights.
-Vacuum pine needles daily or more if needed, they can cause extreme damage when swallowed.
-Use a tree stand that is enclosed or use plain water. Christmas tree preservers are extremely toxic.
-Never feed your animal leftovers or table food, especially if it's been prepared for hunman consumption.
-Don't assume your boarder will be familiar with exotic pets, even if they have no problem housing them. Ask your vet for a recommendation and consider employing a pet sitter instead.
-Before traveling with an exotic pet ensure you know the rules, regulations and laws. Some animals cannot be transferred over state or country lines without a permit, some airlines do not allow certain animals to fly, all airlines require a purchased pet ticket for your animal and may require them to fly in a luggage compartment. In cases of airline travel you will need to have recent medical records for your animal as well as an airline approved travel cage.
-If you suspect you won't be able to find the correct pet food at your destination be sure to pack enough for the entire trip, or consider buying the food online and having it shipped to your destination.