Saturday, October 30, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Keep Your Pets Safe Tonight!
Dogs certainly have a sweet tooth!  However, chocolate is the wrong treat for dogs.  Chocolate contains theobromine, also known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, found in chocolate, as well as in a number of other foods, including the leaves of the tea plant. In high enough quantities it can stop your pet’s heart. Even in small amounts, it can be irritating to the gut lining and cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  If you suspect your pet has ingested Halloween candy, call your vet or the Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435.

Other tips:

Popular Halloween decorations such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively non-toxic; however, they can produce upset stomachs in pets.

Carved pumpkins are festive this time of year! If a candle is used to light your Jack-o-lantern, place them in an area where pets will be unlikely to knock them over to avoid a fire.

Electric lights and other decorations should be out of the reach of pets. If the cords are chewed, your pet may suffer from burns or possibly a life threatening shock.

If you dress up your pet, make certain that the costume does not constrict the pet's natural movements or impede their ability to see, hear, and breathe or to bark or meow.

Closely inspect your pet's costume to ensure that there are no dangling pieces that can be easily chewed that they could choke on.

Even some of the most social pets should be kept in a separate room during trick-or -treat hours. Too many human ghouls can be scary and stressful for even the most social pet.

When opening the door for our trick-or-treaters, make certain that your pet does not dart out the door.

Make certain that your pet(s) has proper identification. If your pet should escape and become lost, a collar with license or other ID can be a lifesaver.

 We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!
Ben is scary!  (Thanks for the picture, Barbara!)
                       

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