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Halloween can be a fun time of year for us humans, as we enjoy all the kids in costumes, trickery, and candy. But it can be a very scary time of year for pets due to loud noises, costumes, and potential toxins.
Chocolate
Everyone should know that chocolate is toxic and potentially fatal for dogs and cats if ingested. The primary toxic ingredient in chocolate is theobromine. It causes vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, hyperactivity, weakness, seizures, coma and even death. The darker the chocolate, the higher the theobromine level and therefore more severe of a reaction. If chocolate ingestion is suspected, call your veterinarian immediately. They may want to induce vomiting to get the wrappers and chocolate out of the system, give activated charcoal to prevent the absorption into the tissues, or hospitalize your pet for fluid therapy. Therefore, during the Halloween holiday months, it is best to keep the chocolate out of reach of your pets!
Escape
What is Halloween without the Trick-or-Treaters? Each time a ghost or vampire comes to your door, it provides a possibility of escape for your pet. The longer you leave the door open while handing out goodies, the larger the window of time for your pet to run out. Once outside, there will be many more people, noises, and cars out than normal. This may make your pet may become disoriented or scared, causing it to run and hide instead of coming back to you. The best prevention of escape is to keep your pet secured, either in a pet kennel or room with the door and windows shut. If you must have your pet out, keep it on leash and secured to something inside.
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Noise
Some animals are sensitive to noise and can become very stressed or destructive with noises that are out of the ordinary or prolonged. During Halloween night there will be many kids out, screaming, crying or just laughing loudly. Doorbells or knocks at the door can also be a trigger for your pet’s anxiety. It is a good idea to desensitize your pet to these noises before Halloween night. This can be a lengthy process that should not wait until the last minute. If desensitizing your pet is not an option or does not work, keep your pet in a part of the house where these noises will be heard the least. Keep all windows and curtains shut, and play background music, turn on a TV, or run a fan to help drown out the undesired noise.
Black Cats
Halloween should be fun and games, but there are still some people that prefer the haunting and tricks to the giving out of candy. Black cats are notorious for being involved with witchcraft or having special powers on Halloween. Some people may try to capture loose cats or specifically black cats. Some of these cats may be teased, hurt, or even killed due to the time of year. It is very important to keep your pets (dogs, cats and especially black cats) safely inside to prevent any traumatic event from befalling your pet!
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Candles and Jack-o-Lanterns
Jack-o-lanterns are a festive addition to your decorations, but keep your pets away from the lit candle. If the pumpkin is knocked over it could cause a fire. Worse yet, your pet could be burned if the tail wags a little too hard or the pet paws at the flickering flame. It is best to use a battery operated faux candle found where most decorations are sold. If this is not an option, supervise your pets or keep them put away while candles are lit.
Decorations and Costumes
Part of the festivity of Halloween is decorating and dressing up in costumes. Unfortunately, pets cannot always distinguish between decorations and costumes versus their toys. Pets can be attracted to stringy and shiny objects and may mistake them for a toy. Inadvertently, your pet could destroy the decoration, the decoration could fall onto him, or your pet could eat it! If ingested, a string can act as a linear foreign body and cause a complete blockage. Blockages are very serious and do not always pass on their own. Most require costly surgery and hospitalization. Be smart when decorating for Halloween. To see if your pet may be tempted to play or eat your decorations, kneel down on the floor at pet level and look up. Are there strings or pieces hanging down or over an edge? Are there scented or flavored items that may attract your pet? When decorating for this Halloween season, remember that prevention is best. Safely tuck away any costume that is not being worn, and keep all other decorations out of reach of your pet.
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