Halloween's traditions of candy, costumes and trick-or-treating can be a potentially dangerous and distressing time for pets, warns the Ontario SPCA.
Extra caution should be taken to protect pets from Halloween
hazards, including keeping pets indoors to shelter them from
children's "pranks" or other cruelty-related incidents. Black
cats are the most frequent victims of abuse at Halloween.
The SPCA recommends pets spend Halloween resting in a secure
area within the house with a favourite toy, comfortable bedding
and soothing music, where they won't have a chance to be
spooked by strangers and dart outdoors.
Use decorations, such as pumpkins, fake cobwebs and decorative
corn with caution. If ingested, many decorations can cause pets
gastrointestinal upset and even result in intestinal
blockage.
Lighted pumpkins or standing candles pose an additional risk.
Pets, especially curious kittens, may knock candles over, cause
a fire and/or get burned.
Chocolate, depending on the amount ingested, can be toxic to
many animals including dogs, cats and ferrets.
Generally the less sweet the chocolate the more dangerous it could be. In fact, as little as 1/4 ounce of baking chocolate can cause diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, hyperactivity and increased thirst, urination and heart rate in small dogs.
As well, candies containing the sweetener xylitol ingested in
large quantities, can produce a sudden drop in blood sugar for
pets, resulting in depression, poor co-ordination and
seizures.
Candy wrappers can cause vomiting and produce intestinal
blockage.
"While Halloween is a time of fun and excitement for kids and
adults, it can be distressing and potentially dangerous for our
pets," says Keri Semenko of the Ontario SPCA.
