So Halloween is less than a week away and we will be facing tricks and treats.
I usually see 3 problem areas with Halloween: ingestion of Halloween candy, behavior problems triggered by strangers ringing door bells, and costumes
Over the years I have seen dogs eat a lot of Halloween candy, wrappers and all. Don’t think that just because it’s all little fun sized individually wrapped Snickers in a bowl on the table or by the front door that Fido won’t counter surf and snag some. Or eat the whole bowl (seen it happen). Be prudent, store in closed containers out of the dog zone until the big night, and then be careful.
The biggest danger in Halloween candy is chocolate toxicity obviously, but all those wrappers can be hard to digest. According to candystore.com, the 3 most popular Halloween candy by sales in Texas are Reese’s peanut butter cups, Starburst, and Almond Joy. So chocolate is in 2 of the 3. Most dogs love peanut butter and it isn’t dangerous, but can be high in fat. I have seen some dogs with pancreatitis after eating snacks high in fat. I don’t see toxicity with most other candy, just sugar overload.
Many dogs are highly vocal and anxious when the door bell rings so Halloween is a big problem for them. For mildly agitated dogs, simply confining them far away from the door and chimes and distracting them with a loud TV show will do the trick. You might even add the calming pheromone Adaptil in a spray or plug in form. For the moderately affected dogs, some oral antianxiety medicine like trazadone might help them decrease the anxiety. For the most severely affected dogs, disabling the door bell, and doing all the above might be necessary. We certainly don’t want any Trick or Treaters bitten when we open the door to give out candy. These kids look cute, but to a dog they may look like big trouble when their job is to protect the family.
Lastly, costumes can really frighten some dogs. I remember one year I wore a bird mask with a large pointy beak and feathers. It really triggered many dogs to bark at me because it was so unfamiliar. Use caution when getting dogs and cats to wear Halloween costumes. They can be cute, but many fit poorly, limit mobility, or the pets just tear them off. I haven’t had to do GI surgery to remove a pet costume yet, but I am sure some vets have.
The AVMA website also suggests using caution with candles or jack-o-lanterns, and keeping your pet inside (especially those black cats) on the big night.
On a fun note, if your dog is well behaved in noisy crowds of people, the City of Lewisville invites them to the Halloween Bash in Wayne Ferguson Plaza from 5-7 pm on Tuesday, Oct 30, for live music by Le Freak!
Have and fun and safe Halloween!