halloween-candyThere are a lot of scary things during October, but the most frightening thing for your pet is the thing that kids enjoy the most – candy. Candy is devilishly tempting for your furbaby, and you need to use any tricks necessary to make sure that your Halloween celebration doesn’t turn into a horror movie!

Dark Shadows of Chocolate. Although dark chocolate is touted for health benefits for humans, the same dark chocolate is lethal for your dog, cat or ferret. The darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is for your little Barnabas Collins. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate and even seizures and death. At Town N Country, we keep track of emergencies, and many of them are because pets have ingested things they shouldn’t have. The number one culprit is chocolate!

Raisins of Wrath. Grapes are toxic, and raisins – which are basically concentrated grapes – are even more so. Keep these tempting sweet jewels out of Steinbeck’s reach. You may suspect that your pet got into these treats if you notice your pet having signs of vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain and kidney failure.

Little Shop of Sugarless Gum. Gum with Xylitol is a great idea for humans, but for your Seymour, it can be deadly. Only 1 – 2 pieces for a small dog, or 8-10 pieces for a large dog, could set off severe hypoglycemia and even liver failure in a very short time. Symptoms include lethargy, seizure, collapse and vomiting.

The Shining Wrappers. It’s not just the candy itself…those shiny, crackling, sweet smelling candy wrappers are another temptation for Jack and Wendy. If swallowed, these could cause intestinal obstruction or even rupture.

If things at your house go off script, and you think that your pet has gotten into the candy stash, give us a call. Our cast of players is on call to help ensure that no matter what your drama queen or film king does, your Halloween has a happy ending!