Trick or Treat! Help your Pets have a Hazard-Free Halloween!

It’s that spooky time of year again! Witches, ghosts, scary movies, creepy decorations, haunted houses, grave yard tours, & above all, candy! While this is a fun time for people of all ages, don’t forget to make sure that your pets stay safe & don’t get into any trouble.

Candy, candy, & more candy!

Just as a reminder, chocolate (in all forms) is toxic to both cats & dogs. The artificial sweetener Xylitol can cause problems for your pets as well. Ingestion of these can cause diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, & worse. So be sure to keep the candy bucket, treat bags, & your own personal stash of Halloween candy out of reach from your pets! As always, if you pet does get into something, be sure to contact either the ASPCA Poison Control Center or your local animal emergency clinic.

Jack-O-Lanterns, Cobwebs, & Wires –  Oh My!

Everyone knows that old saying about curious cats, but this time of year we need to be extra cautious with our spooky decorations. Those cobwebs look excellent, but you might need to move them if you notice your cat trying to eat them. Make sure that any open flames are out of reach from your pets & secured so that they can’t be accidentally knocked over. Keep wires secured as well as some pets may like to chew on them. We don’t want anyone getting shocked, starting a fire, or needing to have surgery to remove cobwebs from your pet’s digestive tract.

Be sure to also keep glow sticks out of reach from your pets. If your pet tries to play with these, they may puncture them & ingest some of the liquid. While most glows ticks are non-toxic, it may have a very bitter taste which may cause your pet to because nauseated.

Spooky Costumes!

Your pet’s comfort should always be your top priority when it comes to dressing them up. While it may look hilarious, if you know that your pet does not like to wear things, don’t force them to. You wouldn’t go to a party without having tried out your costume first, right? You should always make sure that the costume for your pet fits properly & that they are comfortable with it ahead of time. Costumes should never restrict your pet’s movement & it should never inhibit their ability to see. This can cause them to stress & possibly hurt themselves trying to get out of them. Caution should also be taken with costumes that have things hanging off of them. These could get caught on something or your pet may decide to try to eat it.

Don’t worry – Your pet can still be festive even if they’re not wearing a full costume! Halloween shirts, bandannas, collars, & harnesses are available pretty much everywhere in all shapes & sizes.

Why are all of these weird-looking people coming to my house?! I’m outta here!

While Halloween is a fun holiday for everyone, your pet may be stressed or frightened with everything that’s going on. If your pet is a nervous one, be sure to take proper steps to ensure that they also have a Happy Halloween.

If they don’t like the door bell or people coming to the door, sit outside to hand out treats or leave the treat bucket out on your porch. If you have your dog outside with you, make sure that they’re on a leash & have their collar on. Make sure that you have a secured hold on the leash as well.

If your pet has a habit of running off when they’re nervous, make sure that they’re kept secure either in their kennel or in another room to prevent them from running out the door while you’re handing out candy. As we’ve talked about before, there are all sorts of options available to help calm down your nervous pets. If you’re concerned about your pet needing something to help take the edge off, talk to your veterinarian.

You should also make sure that your pets are wearing their collars & have their tags. Yes, even with their costumes! While shelters & clinics can check for microchips, a collar with tags is a quick & easy way for anyone to get a lost pet back home.

Speaking of microchips, this is the perfect time to make sure that your pet’s microchip information is up-to-date! If your pet was microchipped with us at TLC Animal Hospital, visit petlink.net to check the information that is associated with your pet’s chip. Not sure what company the chip is registered through? That’s ok! AAHA (The American Animal Hospital Association) has set up this fantastic website that allows you to search for your pet’s microchip number & it will tell you where to go to from there.

With these tips in mind, you & your pets should be able to have a worry-free Halloween!

By: Ashley Elliott

Sources:
Halloween Safety Tips from ASPCA
Celebrating Safely with your Pets this Halloween from ASPCA
Universal Pet Microchip Lookup

 

Spring into Easter & Keep Your Pets Safe this Holiday

Spring has finally sprung! The sun is out, the flowers are blooming, and Peter Cottontail is on his way! Easter is right around the corner and this year is extra special because we get two holidays in one as Easter falls on April 1^st this year allowing us to celebrate tricks and treats in one day but wait isn’t that another holiday? Well we get two rounds of it in 2018 which also means we get double the toil & trouble with our pets this year, wait…. Back to Spring, we often get so caught up in our excitement for Easter and warm weather that we forget about the hazards some objects bring to our cats and dogs during these celebrations. So, here’s just a quick reminder of things that could cause potential harm to your beloved fur-family!

The most common thing that people are aware of when it comes to holidays and your pets is chocolate, yes chocolate is toxic not only to dogs but to cats as well. Theobromine is the chemical ingredient in cocoa that animals are toxic to and the toxicity of chocolate is based off of the amount of theobromine in the chocolate and the weight of the animal. Anything over 45mg is considered toxic and possibly lethal to dogs however every situation is different, different chocolates vs different types/weight of canines can result in different outcomes. The best way to keep your pup safe is to be able to access the situation if your dog has consumed chocolate and what signs to recognize if your clever canine hid the evidence of eating that delicious bunny that went missing from the basket.

First thing to remember is that different chocolates have different percentage of theobromine in them. The easiest way to remember is: the darker the chocolate the higher percentage. White chocolate has very little amount, milk chocolate has about 44-64mg of theobromine per ounce of chocolate, dark chocolate is going to be the most toxic to your animals unsweet Baker’s chocolate has about 450mg per ounce. That’s a big difference from milk chocolate. To give a better visual; an 80lbs Lab would have to consume 3lbs of milk chocolate for it to potentially be lethal to the animal that same Lab would only have to consume 3.5 ounces of Baker’s chocolate to have the same toxic effect as the milk chocolate. Again, every situation and every animal is unique which is why it is important to recognize some important signs that your cat or dogs possibly consumed chocolate. Although many cats often do not bother with chocolate there are a few who might get curious, symptoms for felines are vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increase heart rate, or seizures. For canines: vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, increase heart rate and body temperature. If your pet is in any way acting sick or lethargic and you believe they may have gotten into chocolate take them to your vet immediately as the most important thing is to get the toxins out of their system as quick as possible.

Another food hazard that people are not always aware of are sugar-free treats. The sugar substitute in these candies is called xylitol.  It is very toxic to animals and can cause hypoglycemia which can be fatal causing things such as liver failure. Some of these candies you will see around Easter include gum, jelly beans, gummies, licorice, and lollipops. Consumption of sugar-free candies can cause a lot of the same symptoms as chocolate some more severe signs associated with candy consumption are your pet becoming disoriented or collapsing. If this occurs please get your pet to the nearest emergency clinic.

Foods are not the only things that your curious four-legged friends can get into. We all love a good Easter egg hunt and this year someone might find it clever and funny to fill those bright colored eggs with something not so appealing to your kids! Like maybe dog kibble? Grass? Or something else? Some of you may be better masterminds at ways to slightly pick on your kids, it’s all in good fun of course and it never gets old to see those pouty looks on children’s faces but just remember your pupper has a better sniffer than your kid and will more than likely find those delicious eggs before they do and eat the plastic eggs along with the contents inside. The sharp torn pieces of plastic could do serious damage to your dog’s intestines and other vital organs. The eggs could also become a choking hazard, as we know a lot of the time dogs try to swallow things before completely chewing them. These potential hazards don’t mean that you have to keep your dog shut off from all the festivities, they are enjoying the holiday as much as their human counterparts but keeping an eye on their whereabouts, know where the eggs are, or just having your pet on a leash can go along way in having a great holiday.

We have talked a lot about dogs and the hazards surrounding them but cats are not exempt from getting into something on Easter. Although they may not be interested in chocolate or candy (but remember it is toxic to them too!) they have their own fascinations surrounding the holiday. The Easter basket seems to be the most “caution zone” area for your pets, your kitties may not be interested in the sweet stuff but they are very interested in the stuff under all those goodies: yes, your cat will go for the Easter grass in the basket. Most Easter grass is made of small strings of plastic and just like the plastic eggs for your dog are no good the grass for cats is very dangerous.

First off the grass comes in a variety of bright colors and cats love bright colors, they will be attracted to it from across the room and to them it just looks like a huge bowl of pretty and delicious spaghetti and because they are kittens and rulers of the household natural this meal was especially prepared for them. The dangers of your cat consuming the Easter grass however is no joke, cats have very small organs and eating something so compact and stringy results in abdominal and intestinal blockage. Removal of Easter grass from a cat’s organs can only be donethrough surgery by a veterinarian. A very important thing to remember if you see a string hanging out of your cats mouth (or backside as well) NEVER pull on the string, this will result in intestinal damage; the best way to think of this is your cats intestines are like a drawstring effect when you try to pull on the string, this is why surgery is the only safe way to remove the string/ grass from your pet. Keeping an eye on your feline around the Easter baskets is essential but there are signs if they find a way to sneak into that appealing treat: abdominal swelling or sensitivity, lack of energy, loss of appetite, and trouble urinating or defecating are all signs that your cat has some type of blockage and should be taken to your local vet.

One last thing to be aware of when it comes to your cats is plants. We all know cats love to nibble on plants and as spring time comes around we start to bring more and more flowers into our homes.  Once again, our regal fur-babies will be happy that the human brought them lovely treats to enjoy but one plant we should be aware of this holiday is Easter lilies.  Many of us bring these into our home in spirit of Easter without realizing they are very toxic to cats.  Anything from nibbling on the plant, to drinking the plant water, even if the pollen gets on your kitty’s paws and they lick it.  However your cat interacts with the plant it can be very dangerous possibly resulting in kidney failure causing symptoms such as vomiting, change in appetite, and increase or decrease in urination.  If you have Easter lilies in your house just make sure you keep an eye on your little acrobats and don’t let them jump up on the counter that’s displaying your beautiful lilies.

Hazards are a part of everyday life when you have pets, it just comes with the territory of owning an animal and during holidays often hazards becoming a little bit bigger problem but this doesn’t mean that we spend the whole time worrying and not enjoying the holiday. Your pets are family and they want to share in the memories of being together with you, so include your pets in the activities and enjoy being together as a family.  Knowledge and awareness are the best defense for your furry family members and hopefully after reading this you are more knowledgeable and aware so every member of your family two-legged and four-legged can be together and enjoy Easter.  Remember: they love being with you and depend on you to be their protectors.

Have an Amazing and Safe Easter!

By: Deanna Smith