DOG HALLOWEEN: THE DOS AND DON’TS

As with most things, if you’re aware of the potential Halloween hazards for cats and dogs and take the steps we are talking about in this Bark & Learn Podcast, your whole family will be far more likely to have a Halloween full of fun and great memories, rather than a night (and a sizable chunk of change) spent in the Animal ER. To help you gear up for the ghoulish holiday, stay tuned. 

Pet Pals Bark & Learn Series, born out of Pet Pals’ philosophy and strong commitment to give back to our Community and help build strong Pet/Human relationships is a free educational service. The series covers a wide range of pet related topics to demystify topics not commonly known, debunk myths routinely spread about certain pets/breeds/etc., provide simple and relevant behavioral tips, and so much more. Pet Pals releases another Bark & Learn Podcast to help our community and assist people in living the lives they want while having the loved, well cared for, and well behaved pets they deserve! 

Hire Pet Pals - Your Pet Will Thank You!

Thank you for listening to this episode of *Pet Pals' Bark & Learn Podcast*! We hope these tips help make your day joyful for both you and your pets.

For more pet care advice, recipes, and holiday survival guides, visit us at www.HirePetPals.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media @HirePetPals for Instagram and www.facebook.com/HirePetPals for all things pets.

If you loved this episode, share it with a fellow pet parent and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, keep wagging, purring, and enjoying life with your pets!

Transcript

Pet Pals releases another Bark & Learn to help our community and assist people in living the lives they want while having the loved, well cared for, and well behaved pets they deserve!

Ah, Halloween; the time of year when looking like a cast member from the Walking Dead is celebrated! And the one day when consuming mountains of chocolate is encouraged (for humans). While this night may be a wonderful time for you and your two-legged kids, it's important to keep in mind that Halloween can present some new dangers for your cats and dogs and therefore may not be as fun an evening for your four-legged kids.

As with most things though, if you’re aware of the potential Halloween hazards for cats and dogs and take the steps we are discussing all month long, your whole family will be far more likely to have a Halloween full of fun and great memories, rather than a night (and a sizable chunk of change) spent in the Animal ER. To help you gear up for the ghoulish holiday, we’ve compiled the some of the top Halloween dangers so that you can avoid a real nightmare for your dog or cat!

Pet Pals Bark & Learn Halloween Safety Pet Tip #1

Not all pets enjoy wearing a costume. Make sure your pet is comfortable and watch for signs of anxiety. Costumes should have no obstructions blocking their sight, no dangling objects they can swallow, make sure they can easily move around and not overheat.

Some body language signs of anxiety in dogs can include:

• Ears back

• Tail tucked

• Shaking or trembling

• Yawning

• Lip Licking

• Turning of head

Notice any of these signs, take costume off immediately. What is your pet dressing up for Halloween? Pictures from this year (or last) highly encouraged!

Tip #2: Keep an eye on the treat bowl.

Candies, baked goods, and human food can be very toxic to pets. Especially chocolate and xylitol which are common ingredients in many candies. Lets dive in deeper, lots of goodness below!

Dangerous Halloween Treats

Xylitol

You may be thinking, why isn’t chocolate the number one danger facing your pet? It's because xylitol, a natural sugar alternative, is even more toxic to dogs than chocolate, its use is becoming increasingly common, and too many people are still unaware of the very real and serious dangers that xylitol poses to dogs. Hard candies, sugar-free gum, and even some chocolates are just a few of the many types of products that can contain xylitol.

If you have children, make sure they don’t leave their candy lying around anywhere that’s accessible to your dog. And be sure to hang any bags or purses up where your dog truly can't reach them. Even just a small piece of gum like you would find in Ice Breakers Ice Cubes gum (which can have up to 2 grams of xylitol per piece!) contains enough xylitol to severely sicken or even kill a small dog, and it doesn’t take much more than that to pose the same danger to larger dogs.

If you’re handing out any xylitol products to trick-or-treaters, make sure they’re completely locked away from your own dogs and consider adding a little note of awareness to help protect any dogs those trick-or-treaters may have at home. Wanna be even safer, don’t give out any xylitol-containing gums, mints, or candies for Halloween.

Chocolate

OK, now that we've covered xylitol, it's time for chocolate. (Mmmm ... chocolate!!) Chocolate is typically the reason behind most calls to veterinarians during this time of year. And yes, chocolate can be problematic for pets. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic and problematic it is for dogs and cats. This is because the concentration of theobromine, a caffeine-like compound found in chocolate, is higher the darker the chocolate is (i.e., the more cocoa the chocolate contains).

While many people are aware of the danger chocolate poses to dogs, the same danger for cats is far less publicized. Granted, cats are less likely to chow down on a Hershey’s, but the theobromine in chocolate is just as toxic for cats as it is for dogs. And perhaps even more so, as cats are typically much smaller than many of the dogs that do chow down on chocolate. For instance, did you know that as little as one ounce of dark chocolate is enough to require emergency veterinary care for a 10-pound cat?

For pets with pre-existing heart disease or seizure conditions, the concern is even higher, as these are two of the big “target organs” for the toxic effects of chocolate. Understanding these factors, as well as the importance of the theobromine concentration, could mean the difference between checking in with your vet if your Great Dane eats an M&M or rushing to the ER if your Corgi gets into a stash of dark chocolate bars. And keep in mind that it’s not just the toxic effects of theobromine that makes chocolate dangerous to your pets — chocolate also has a high fat content, which can lead to digestive upset and pancreatitis, adding not just insult, but additional injury to injury.

If you haven’t already, train your dog to leave it and drop it now is a good time to start. Don’t know how to train, contact Pet Pals for their Pet Mentorship Program!

Raisins

First, can we all agree that handing out raisins on Halloween should be a federal crime? But if anyone in your home does come back with a box of raisins, it could be more of a problem than just crappy “treats.” If a dog (and possibly some cats) gets into them, grapes, raisins, and currants can lead to acute kidney failure. We don’t know which pets will be susceptible to the toxic effects of raisins, nor the number of raisins that must be ingested before problems are seen. So be sure to put any trick-or-treat raisins in the garbage where they rightfully belong, or at least keep them well away from your pets.

Snack and Candy Bags

The actual treats in your kid’s Halloween bounty aren’t the only potential food-related problem for your pets — the wrappers and bags those treats come in can also cause problems. Ingested candy wrappers can lead to digestive system inflammation and/or obstruction, resulting in episodes of vomiting and/or diarrhea, as well as an unplanned trip to the veterinarian, and possibly the surgery table. Watch for the signs that your cat or dog may have ingested something that’s “stopping them up.” Signs could include vomiting, decreased energy and/or appetite, or straining to defecate.

Candy bags and salty snack (e.g., chips, pretzels, etc.) bags can also turn deadly in a matter of minutes. A dog rummaging for crumbs can easily get their head stuck in a plastic or Mylar snack bag, creating a vacuum-like seal and suffocating in just 3–5 minutes! Once their head becomes stuck, the dog will panic, which depletes oxygen and raises carbon dioxide even faster. Regardless of the dog's size, they won't be able to get the bag off their head once it’s stuck. The same goes for candy bags that hold individual, or “fun size,” treats. Even if they’re empty, a dog’s curious nose is more than enough to cause them to poke their head in and explore. While this is definitely more of a dog danger, there are reported cases each year of cat suffocation as well. So be aware and take precautions.

To keep your dog or cat and all other neighborhood pets safe from the dangers of suffocation, cut or tear the empty bags twice (once along the bottom and once down a side), to make it a flat sheet, and throw them away in sealed trash containers. If the trick-or-treaters in your family come back with snack bags, make sure they do the same with those as well. Huge thank you to preventive for helping with this write up.

Tip #3

Keep your home a safe space for your pet. Animals can get stressed with the hustle and bustle of guests and trick-or- treaters. It’s best to keep your pets indoors and provide them with a safe, quiet, escape-proof room where they can be removed from the energy and excitement of the holiday. Remember to provide plenty of food and water, and let your pet catch up on some Zs!

For additional details to these tips and how-to's to have a safe and fun night of trick/trunk-or-treating, check out our past October Bark & Learns posted below. Hopefully this list hasn’t completely frightened you! Using a little prevention can make every holiday a little more enjoyable and a lot less costly. Pet Pals wishes you and your pets a Happy Halloween!

Pet Pals Bark & Learn Series, born out of Pet Pals’ philosophy and strong commitment to give back to our Community and help build strong Pet/Human relationships is a free educational service. The Series covers a wide range of pet related topics to demystify topics not commonly known, debunk myths routinely spread about certain pets/breeds/etc., provide simple and relevant behavioral tips, and so much more. Each month, Pet Pals releases another Bark & Learn to help our community and assist people in living the lives they want while having the loved, well cared for, and well-behaved pets they deserve!

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