Top Five Halloween Hazards

Halloween Hazards

                Fall has arrived bringing colored leaves, crisp cool air, more pumpkin-spiced items than you can imagine and, my favorite holiday, Halloween.  We have discussed things that might be unsafe for our pets in the past, but, just in case you’ve been glamoured by a vampire and forgotten them, Patton Veterinary Hospital wants to remind you with this rundown of the top five Halloween hazards. 

1. Glow sticks—luckily, glow sticks are pretty safe and are actually NOT toxic.  However, if pets accidentally bite into a glow stick, the fluorescent substance inside is very bitter, and your cat or dog may look like Cujo, salivating and foaming at the mouth. You can wash out your pet’s mouth with a cloth soaked in milk or water or try offering some food to get rid of the bad taste. If your pet is vomiting, continues to paw at her mouth for more than 30 minutes or if he should ingest the plastic casing which could cause intestinal irritation or blockage, have him or her checked by your veterinarian. 
2. Candles and Jack O’Lanterns—candles can add a warm fall glow or spooky ambiance to our festivities, but they can be dangerous to our pets.  A flame or the hot wax from a lit candle could burn your pet or worse, start a fire.  Fear the flame like Frankenstein’s monster and consider using battery powered flameless candles to light your pumpkins and candelabras.  If you must use real candles, make sure they are well out of reach of pets and never leave burning candles unattended for any reason.  We don’t want anyone to have a recreation of the flaming gymnasium at the end of Carrie.
3. Chocolate—so, unless you have been living in a coffin, everyone should know that chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats.  Keep Halloween candy out of reach of pets and make sure the kiddos know not to feed candy to the dog or cat or any other pet for that matter.  If your pet does accidentally get into the Halloween stash, have your vet check him out.  In most cases, vomiting or diarrhea will be the likely result, but, chocolate can cause serious problems like agitated behavior, seizures, and increased heart rate and large amounts of chocolate could be fatal. 
4. Candy wrappers—perhaps more dangerous than the candy itself are the candy wrappers.  Dogs or cats who ingest candy wrappers may develop vomiting, abdominal pain and an intestinal blockage if the wad of wrappers gets stuck.  This can lead to serious complications, and your pet will most likely need surgery.  If you don’t want to see projectile vomiting a la Regan in The Exorcist, keep the Halloween stash away from your pets. 
5. Trick-or-Treaters—some pets are fine with visitors, but most pets become overly excited or anxious when the doorbell rings repeatedly, especially when a parade of people in strange costumes arrives at the door.  Not only may your pets have a “They’re coming to get you, Barbara” moment with all those little zombies and ghouls on the prowl, but dogs or cats could also potentially escape through an open door.  No one wants their pet lost on Elm Street or at Camp Crystal Lake on Halloween night. Consider keeping pets leashed, crated or confined in another room during trick or treat hours.

Finally, while black cats are beloved symbols of Halloween, they can also be the target of malicious pranks around this time of year.Please keep them safely indoors on All Hallows Eve.

The Staff of Patton Veterinary Hospital wishes you and all your critters a safe and Happy Halloween!

This blog brought to you by Dr. Sabrina the not-so-teenage witch and the Patton Veterinary Hospital serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding communities.