Halloween can bring a number of hazards into your home. Here are a few important safety tips to ensure your pet is safe and happy on this spookiest of holidays.
- Candies containing chocolate, peanut butter, raisins or currents can be toxic to pets. Ingesting them will result in upset stomachs and may lead to heart arrhythmias, kidney failure and/or seizures. It is important to keep them out of your pet’s reach and children should be taught not to feed candy to them.
- Xylitol, a sugar substitute, commonly seen in peanut butter and gum is extremely toxic to dogs. Even small amounts can cause hypoglycemia, or a rapid drop blood sugar levels. Symptoms include staggering, disorientation, collapse, weakness and seizures. Ingesting can lead to liver failure and death.
- Pets with social anxiety, or who are territorial, should be placed securely away from the front door, where trick-or-treaters will be present.
- Pet costumes should avoid the face or neck area, where breathing may become restricted and result in choking. Keep a close eye on pets in their costumes; some pets might chew and ingest pieces of their costume which could result in a gastrointestinal blockage.