PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – It’s not unusual for pet parents to want to include their fur-kids in holiday celebrations, but it’s important to remember that things that are fun for us bipeds are dangerous to our four-legged family members. Halloween is a prime example.
BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital says it sees a massive increase in chocolate toxicity cases – about 250% — the week after Halloween. Now Halloween and chocolate pretty much go hand in hand. Humans love it. Pets do, too, but for them, it’s potentially deadly. “The biggest risk for pets this time of year is candy ingestion,” according to BluePearl. “And dogs and cats are great at mopping up candy on the floor, finding the candy basket, and getting up on counters to get their fix.” Dark chocolate, often touted as having some health benefits for people, is highly toxic to our pets. Raisins are a no-no, too, as is xylitol, a common sugar substitute in sugar-free treats. BluePearl says one piece of sugar-free gum is all it takes to make a small pet sick.
Make sure your family’s entire Halloween haul is put away where your pets cannot get at it. If you have talented fur-kids that can get into drawers or the pantry, make sure to put the candy and sweets out of their reach.
Where there’s candy, there are wrappers and bags. These are choking hazards, and if your pet eats them (I once had a cat who loved biting plastic grocery bags.), they could end up with a gastrointestinal obstruction. That’s potentially deadly and can require expensive and invasive surgery.
There’s also the danger of suffocation. “Dogs, in particular, rummaging through bags can easily get their heads stuck in plastic bags, causing them to suffocate within minutes,” according to BluePearl. “Once their head gets stuck, they panic, and hyperventilate, which will cause the bag to form a seal around the face depleting them of oxygen and can lead to death.” Bottom line: Do not leave bags and wrappers in Fido’s reach.
Now let’s talk about props. Electrical props are inherently dangerous to chewers. (I had a cat – different cat – that would not be discouraged from biting electrical cords no …….