Halloween Hazards for your Pets
Halloween will soon be upon us and although fun for us humans it can present many concerns for our 4 legged friends. Candy, fireworks and trick or treaters can all cause concerns as far as pets are concerned.
Keep the Halloween treat bowl and children’s goodie bags up out of reach of dogs and cats. Although we find the contents yummy so do our pets but the side effects can been much worse for them. Sugar, nuts, and chocolate can all cause digestive upset leading to vomiting, diarrhea and can cause Pancreatitis. Pancreatitis if severe can cause death but even minor disease can lead to vomiting, bloody diarrhea and acute abdominal pain. Chocolate in high enough doses, or even small amounts of dark chocolate, contains theobromine, which can be cardio and neuro toxic to dogs and in high enough quantities can cause death. If your pet eats any quantity of Halloween candy please call your veterinarian ASAP.
On the west coast fireworks are a large part of Halloween. Some dogs are very sensitive to loud noises and firworks and thunder can cause them to cower, howl or worse bolt and run to get away. If they are outside or at an open door when they hear the noise the can easily get away. As they are frightened at the time they are oblivious to their surroudings and can easily be hit by a vehicle or become lost. If you dog is afraid of loud noises please make sure they are in a quiet room durinr Halloween. Do not reassure them in a quiet voice that ” it’s O.K” as that only reinforces the scared behavior. Try to be up beat and happy and then they’ll pick up your mood in the presence of loud noises.
Trick or treaters coming to your door are another source of excitement to your pet. If your dog gets excited when the doorbell rings, consider disabling your doorbell for Halloween night. Keep your pet safe away from the door. Keep outdoor cats inside and inside cats safe so they don’t bolt when the door is answered. This is a good time to make sure your pet has proper identification. Make sure they have a name tag on their collar, with your phone number, or they have a microchip. Another thing to make sure of is that the information you have registered with the microchip company is correct. Having these means of identification will make sure your pet is returned quickly and safely to you should they escape to follow their favourite trick or treater !
Have fun on Halloween but lets make sure your pet is safe and sound while you do.