Halloween Drool Tips

123 Treats are for your dog, not Halloween candies.

No Treat Tricks
As a dog owner, I'm sure you have heard several times that chocolate is bad for dogs. This is not an urban legend, but 100% true. Every dog and every dog breed is different and may be more or less susceptible to the toxic chemical in chocolate. Nevertheless, it is not something you want to test out.
Theobromine is a toxic chemical along with caffeine. Dogs don't metabolize these chemicals like humans. If ingested, the symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. These symptoms can take several hours to show and can last several days. If you suspect your pup ingested chocolate, consult your veterinarian even if symptoms haven't developed. Other candies have artificial sweeteners called xylitol, which can also be poisonous to dogs.

Watch out for these dangerous candies on the ground. Kids are notorious for dropping things, dogs are notorious for picking items up with their mouths, and it goes down the hatch. If your pup makes the trick-or-treat walk with you or helps hand out the candy at the door, watch the ground for an unsuspecting ground candy.

Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead
Most indoor dogs know that a doorbell or knock on the door means an unknown person is attempting to enter their territory. During Halloween, this creates a lot of traffic at your front door, which can cause anxiety for your pet. The confusion of the doorbell ringing every 3 minutes with masked strangers is not every day for them. If your pup already has anxiety from a single knock at the door, consult your veterinarian, who can provide a sedative to help make the night less stressful.

Dress Code
If you like to dress your pup in Halloween costumes, make sure they are as happy about it as you are. If your dog has any change in behavior after you dress them up, they probably aren't excited about it. If there is any rolling on the ground, shaking of the head (hats/masks), or biting at the costume, your pup isn't having fun. Halloween can be stressful for your dog because it's a day that is out of routine for them. Do what you can to help them be as stress-free as possible.

Just remember Halloween is a fun time for kids but can cause stress for your pet. Find ways to minimize the stress as best you can so Oct 31st is as fun as possible for all.


More Halloween pet health safety tips can be found at:
https://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_multi_halloween_safety_tips
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/chocolate-poisoning-in-dogs

 Author: Jennifer Phagan