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Trick or Treat is No Treat for Pets


Coming home with a bucket or a pillowcase full of candy after trick-or-treating is incredibly exciting. You can’t wait to sit down and rummage through, picking your favorite treats to eat first. Or perhaps you decided to get your own bag of candy to treat yourself and eat it on the couch while watching a scary movie on the TV.


But if your pet eats even one piece of your candy stash, the results can be horrific. Learn how to keep your cat or dog safe this Halloween season and avoid an emergency veterinary visit.



5 Toxic Halloween Treats for Pets


However you spend your Halloween, be mindful to keep all Halloween candy and treats out of reach of your pet and in an area that they cannot open.


Below are the 5 most common toxic Halloween treats for your pets.


If at any time you think that your pet has eaten any of the Halloween treats listed below, call your veterinarian immediately.


1. Chocolate





Even though chocolate is well known to be toxic to pets, it is still one of the most common toxic treats that pets eat during Halloween. Your pet might easily nose open the drawer where the Halloween chocolate bars are located or eat the bag of chocolate bars off the counter.






If you suspect your pet has eaten chocolate, common symptoms will include:

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • An upset stomach

  • Increased thirst

  • Sudden hyperactivity or restlessness

  • Increased panting

If you think your pet has ingested any form of chocolate, do not wait- call or go to your veterinarian right away. Try to find which type of chocolate and the quantity of chocolate that your pet may have eaten.


2. Xylitol/sugar-free gum and candy

Sugar-free gum and candy might be a nice treat without getting the sugar overload on Halloween. The ingredient xylitol is commonly found in sugar-free gum and candy such as mints, lozenges, or other hard candy (and some peanut butters!) which you might leave out on the table.


Xylitol is extremely toxic to pets, dogs especially, who might collapse or become hypoglycemic if they ingested anything with xylitol.


Common symptoms include:

  • Vomiting

  • Weakness

  • Loss of coordination

  • Loss of consciousness

  • Collapse

  • Seizures

  • Loss of appetite


3. Lollipops

I

n addition to possibly containing xylitol, lollipops are also extra dangerous due to the stick. Your cat might think that the lollipop stick might be a good toy to bat around the home, chew on and toss and the air. Or your dog might think that it is a fun toy to chew on.


Lollipop sticks can be incredibly dangerous to your pet as they may become a choking hazard or get stuck in their digestive tract, causing internal bleeding and injury.



4. Candy corn

Candy corn is synonymous with Halloween! But like lollipops and other hard or sugar-free candy, it might contain xylitol. Candy corn also contains high levels of sugar and food coloring which are dangerous for our pets.


5. Candy wrappers

Whether the candy wrapper or bags of candy are discarded or still wrapped around the candy, they pose an enormous hazard to your pet. The wrapper might be a crinkly texture that might interest your pet to play with it and then ingest it. Your pet might also be an expert garbage bin thief and when they dig through your garbage, they can easily ingest the entire wrapper and large quantities of wrappers in one night.


Your pet eating large amounts of candy wrappers can cause:

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Choking

  • Gastrointestinal obstructions (which could be fatal)


Please ensure that disposed candy wrappers or bags of candy are in a secure bin or location that your pet cannot access.


All it takes is a few preventative measures to keep your pet safe this Halloween season!
Happy Halloween from all of us at Duo Duo Project to you and your pets!

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