Nothing is scarier than making an emergency trip to the vet. But during Halloween, Pet Poison lines are sounding off like wild banshees and animal hospitals are haunted by sick mutts. More often than not, the candy pail ends up being the ‘who dunnit.’
Is your fur baby acting weird after murdering a bucket of Halloween candy? See which major offenders could be to blame.
Chocolate Covered Raisins
Chocolate and grape skins are two highly poisonous human foods that dogs simply can’t stomach. In tandem they create a potentially fatal combo that could be difficult to come back from.
Methylxanthines are chemicals in chocolate that are similar to caffeine. Once they enter your dog’s system they can cause ailments like diarrhea all the way up to heat failure. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it becomes.
Should your dog get into the raisinetts, kidney failure could soon to follow. That’s because, for reasons unknown, grape skins are wholly intolerable for pups. If you suspect Fido has snacked on a package of chocolate covered raisins, don’t wait until you see signs of distress. Take them in for a check immediately.
Wrapped Candy
Since dogs lack opposable thumbs, their only choice is to go for the whole hog. Or in this case, Twix bar. But plastic or foil wrapped candy can cause serious damage to their digestive tract. Some may be able to pass wraps through the system, but don’t bank on it. From internal abrasions to full on GI obstructions, there’s little good that can come from your pup taking down wrapped Halloween candy.
Is your pet throwing up? Don’t panic, but do act accordingly.
Hard Candy
Just because there’s no chocolate or wrappers doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. Hard candy like butterscotch or peppermints is designed to dissolve over time. While humans know to savor the flavor, dogs may assume they can plow threw it like dog chow. Big mistake! These candies may look harmless, but once saliva is involved they become serious choking hazards that can block windpipes.
Safely Storing Halloween Candy
When it comes to storing your Halloween candy, take extra precaution. Don’t assume that just because it’s on a high counter top that your dog won’t gain access. The smell of chocolate, for example, is highly tempting for pets. Should they catch wind of it, it could drive them to access areas they normally wouldn’t. Best to keep candy in closed cabinets in the farthest reaches of your kitchen.
Make sure the Halloween candy is kept away from where you store your high quality dog food, too. The scent confusion could make for a super scary scene.
In the end, if you’re spooked by your pet’s behavior on Halloween, better to get it checked out as early as possible. While no real amount of sugar is good for pets, some cause more than just a passing case of loose stool. Some can send them to the other side.
Ring in Halloween safely by keeping the candy away from your little monsters. But! That’ doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate! Just make sure their ghoulish garb doesn’t have small metal pieces like beads or snaps that can be ingested. Just like Halloween candy, zinc and lead can also lead to poisoning.
