Spooky season is upon us! While you and your family are getting all dressed up and stocking up on your neighborhood's favorite candy, it's easy to get wrapped up in the fun and forget about pet safety over the holiday. Here are some tricks (and treats!) on how to make sure your pet has a safe Halloween.
Keep an Eye on That Halloween Candy
A little too much candy might give you a stomach ache, but could hurt your pet more if they get into it! Symptoms of candy ingestion for pets include digestive upset, hyperactivity, restlessness and trembling. Theobromine, a compound in chocolate, can be toxic in certain doses to dogs AND cats. High-sugar candies can also drive digestive upset in dogs, even if they do not contain chocolate.
While the candy itself can cause harm, candy wrappers are also an issue. If consumed, they can cause bowel blockages, digestive upset and irritation.
Be sure to keep candy out of reach from your pets with secured covers. This will also reduce the smell of the candy, which will reduce the interest from your pet in the food.
If your pet should happen to find your candy stash, seek veterinarian counsel immediately.
What Can I Feed My Pet That’s Festive?
Depending who you talk to, autumn also means pumpkin spice season! While you enjoy your tasty seasonal coffee and muffin, remember that pumpkin is a great source of soluble fiber which helps support proper digestion for your pets!
Solid Gold offers a variety of foods featuring pumpkin including Winged Tiger and Triple Layer for cats, and Buck Wild and Wild Heart for dogs. Solid Gold’s Turkey Bone Broth with Pumpkin and Ginger is a great festive meal topper or treat for dogs of all life stages.
You can also add regular canned pumpkin purée to any kibble to elevate the pumpkin experience (just make sure there are no additives, and stay away from pumpkin pie filling!).
Keeping Your Pets Calm with Trick-Or-Treaters
Your doorbell ringing every 30 seconds on Halloween night might be fun and exciting for you, but could be a large source of stress for your pets! When those trick-or-treaters start to come around, it may be a good idea to keep your furry friends in a secure place where they feel safe comfortable (a favorite crate or bedroom, for example) and out of sight of the door where they could see a lot of strangers.
You can also keep doorbell ringing to minimum by keeping an eye out for trick-or-treaters walking up to your house as to not constantly startle your pet.
If they already have anxiety and use a thunder shirt, take chamomile, or other prescriptions from a vet, these can come in handy to take the edge off.
Halloween only comes once a year, so have fun and stay safe!
