Research shows on average a quarter of Australians (26 per cent) celebrate Halloween. What's more, the trend to embrace the American tradition has spread to our pets, with Animal Medicines Australia's most recent report revealing 36 per cent of pet owners purchase gifts for their four-legged friends on special occasions such as Halloween.

But is the spooky season a trick or treat for pets?

According to PETstock vet Dr Sasha Nefedova there are some things that to look out for when getting our pets into the Halloween spirit. Starting with the costumes.

"It's just understanding how your pet might feel when the costume is actually on them," she says.

"For example, brachycephalic breeds - so flat-faced breeds, like pugs, pekingese, English bulldogs - anything that's tied around their neck or might obstruct their face can potentially impede their breathing. Especially if we put a costume on them and they get excited, or we take them for a walk, that might start to impact them negatively.

"The other thing is also costumes that make noises. For example, if it's a really big elaborate costume that might have some kind of synthetic materials that rub together and make a noise. That might be alarming to some dogs as well so that's something to watch out for."

Dr Nefedova says it's important to look for signs that your dog might be uncomfortable or anxious, especially as these signs can be subtle, to begin with. Signs include noticing your dog licking their lips, drooling excessively, looking around and showing the whites of their eyes.

"Once they start to get anxious, they can tuck their tail between their legs, maybe start to bite and scratch at the costume," Dr Nefedova says.

"They can also have bad drooling where it's starting to make them quite wet around the face, or just kind of freezing and not moving at all."

For those pets who are searching for a treat and instead eat lollies with artificial sweetener, chocolate, grapes or raisins - which can be toxic to dogs - Dr Nefedova says the first port of call is to phone a vet to help determine how serious the situation is.

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"If you do come home and you've noticed your pet's eaten lollies or chocolates keep the wrappers," she says.

"We want to know exactly how much chocolate, the dog's eaten and what type. If you've kept the box or the wrapper we can work that out quite easily.

"Your vet will usually advise you what needs to happen. It might be that they just stay at home and you need to look after them, monitor them. Or it might be that you call your vet and they say look we think they've eaten too much, you need to come in straight away."