Halloween safety tips for pets

When celebrating All Hallows' Eve with your pets, consider that not all enjoy the festivities. Below are GWLAH's tips for taking the terror out of your furry family member's holiday.

• Strangers at the door cause pet stress: Put your pets in a quiet room or crate before all the hustle and bustle starts to decrease their stress. You can also minimize noise by sitting outside to keep trick-or-treaters from knocking on the door or ringing the bell.
• Treats for you, tricks for your pets: Keep candy safely stashed where pets can't get into it, as chocolate and treats sweetened with Xylitol are hazardous to them. Make sure children know not to share their haul with their four-legged friends.
• Dangerous decorations: Some hazards are obvious, like lit candles (fire hazards and toxic to birds if scented). Other potentially dangerous decorations include rubber eyeballs (choking risk), glow sticks and fake blood (possible poisons), fake cobwebs (can choke or entangle pets and wildlife), potpourri (toxic to birds) and strung lights. Watch out for those candy wrappers and plastic packaging too!
• Costume with caution: Consider your pet’s personality and what type of costume they may tolerate and for how long. Best to keep pet costumes minimal. Keep an eye on your costumed pet to make sure the costume is comfortable and allows your pet to move freely. Also be sure to remove any chewable parts or objects that could come off and choke your pet.
• ID is important: In case of escape, make sure that all your pets are wearing tags with current IDs and that their microchip is registered with your most up-to-date information. Take a recent picture of your pet that can be used for lost flyers just in case they get lost.

Forbidden fruit

While there are a number of human foods that dogs can safely and happily consume, grapes and raisins aren't on the list.
Popular snack foods, by themselves or as an ingredient in things like trail mix, fruit salad or cookies, grapes and raisins can cause severe reactions and may even be fatal.
The exact cause of toxicity is unknown, nor is the amount, and some dogs may suffer more severe reactions than others.
Symptoms of grape/raisin toxicity include:

• Decreased appetite
• Lethargy or weakness
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Abdominal tenderness
• Dehydration
• Increased thirst and urination
• Decreased or no urination

If left untreated, dogs may go into kidney failure, which can be fatal.
If your dog does ingest one or more grapes or raisins, you should call your veterinarian as quickly as possible, as they may recommend inducing vomiting. The window of opportunity to induce vomiting is limited, so calling as soon as the ingestion occurs is recommended.

Keeping kitty safe tonight

This Halloween, don't waste any of your cat's nine lives on preventable accidents.
Keep your cats (especially the black ones!) indoors during the witching hours of All Hallows' Eve to prevent them from being hit by a car or being poisoned, either accidentally or on purpose.
With limited daylight and reduced visibility, and an increase in traffic during the holiday, the safest place for cats is inside with their people.

Peanut butter and pumpkin dog treats

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie mix, which has added sugars and spices)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (make sure it is Xylitol-free)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin and peanut butter together.
• Stir in the flour and combine the mixture into a dough.
• Roll out the dough onto a floured surface.
• Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes.
• Place treats half an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Let cool before enjoying!

Did you know?

That candy corn was originally marketed as "Chicken Feed," and was even sold in a box with a rooster on the front?