Halloween Hazards

Halloween is a fun holiday, but hidden dangers await. Halloween candy can pose a health threat to pets in several different ways. Numerous ingredients in those tasty goodies can be toxic to your pet, including substances found in sugar-free gum and chocolate. Raisins and macadamia nuts are toxic too. Larger candy pieces can be choking hazards and wrappers/plastic/cardboard might cause life-threatening intestinal blockage. Trick-or-treaters occasionally get pocket change and even this can cause problems. Pennies may contain zinc (depending on the date they were minted) and if your pet accidentally swallows some while trying to get to other candy, problems might arise. Blockage of the intestines is one concern for small pets but another is zinc toxicity which can result in serious anemia due to the breakdown of red blood cells. Other hazards are also just waiting to happen, including almost certain stomach and intestinal upset. Therefore, the most important thing you can do to protect your pet is to prevent problems before they arise. Keep Halloween candy in a protected area out of the reach of pets. In the unfortunate event that your pet does get into it, please contact a veterinarian immediately to discuss the most appropriate treatment.