Halloween is a great holiday for many families, and an excuse to go out and have fun, with trick, or treat kids knocking on your door, different costumes and plenty of candy. Moreover, many pet owners like to get in on the action too by dressing their dogs in Halloween costumes, but every year many dogs become seriously ill due to consuming candy, and it’s one of the few times during the year dog owners need to be especially careful. Here we will look into the dangers of dogs, and Halloween candy and why dogs eating candy can be so dangerous, some of, which can even kill your dog, so read on to learn more.
Many people have heard that you shouldn’t feed dogs (or cats) chocolate, but not many know the reason why, some people even think it may be a myth, but it’s not. There are two ingredients in chocolate that are extremely dangerous to our best friend, and they are Theobromine and Caffeine and by eating as little as 1/4 oz of chocolate can be extremely toxic for them. Chocolate toxicity in dogs can cause diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, and even death, yes it’s that dangerous for them, but chocolate is not the only danger out there on Halloween for your dog.
The chances are quite high that your dog will get into some candy at some point during the Halloween holiday, with so many groups trick or treating, there will be candy dropped in yards, gardens and sidewalks. Having said that, be sure to check your yard next morning for remnants of candy spat out by kids that didn’t like the taste of a specific treat, as these may be picked up by your dog. Also, candy wrappers can be another major threat, and there will probably be a lot, and your dog will be able to smell the chocolate inside the wrapper even if its empty, also keep your own candy bowl out of reach of your dog.
When a dog gets into the candy bowl, he tends not to unwrap the candy to eat it, so he inevitably eats the whole thing, wrapper included, and now you not only have the danger of chocolate toxicity, but also the danger of him getting a blockage due to the wrapper. Moreover, bite sized hard candy can be just as dangerous as chocolate in their own way due to the size of them. In addition, they can be a choking hazard, and we’ve all heard of chocolate covered raisins, these are double danger. Raisins, or any kind of grape can cause liver failure in dogs, and a chocolate covered raisin is almost guaranteed you will have to visit your vet or call poison control.
Another type of candy that you need your dog to stay away from is sugar free candy as these usually have a sugar substitute called Xylitol. Xylitol is safe for people, but a potential killer to a dog, as it can drop their sugar levels very quickly to a dangerous level, and if this happens your dog may become lethargic, unable to walk and could end up having seizures. If a dog survives eating this he could still have liver damage, and even have liver failure, so it is probably a wise move to keep dogs, and cats away from all the human candy, especially at Halloween time.
Many dog owners know about the different foods out there that pose a health risk. Moreover, many have learned this through experience, and had a dog become seriously ill, or even die because they just wasn’t informed. Having said that, some people like to have different nuts out at Halloween as well as other holidays, yet even something as innocent as Macadamia nuts can be lethal to a dog, and it doesn’t take a second for Fido to snatch a tasty looking Macadamia cookie from the table. It can take as little as just a few Macadamia nuts to make your dog very ill, from muscle tremors to paralysis, from elevated body temperature to vomiting and rapid heart rate.
Finally, the best way to keep your dog safe on Halloween is to keep him inside, and have some of his favorite dog treats on hand, so he can enjoy a healthy treat and not get sick. However, if you like to get your dog involved, and dress him in a costume and go trick or treating, be sure to take his favorite treats along, so that when the kids are opening their chocolate candy, he can have a healthy snack. Prevention is better than cure, and when it comes to dogs, and Halloween candy it is much better to be informed, and aware than to finish the happy holiday in the ER. Finally, by taking extra precautions, you can help your pet to stay safe, and have a happy Halloween that both you, and your best friend can easily enjoy together.
Make sure to subscribe to our blog for more pet health tips!