The delicious smell of cinnamon spice in the air, the wonderful sight of turning leaves and the sound of screaming kids as they race through the neighborhood collecting candy. Halloween should be all about costumes and candy, but sometimes it can turn tragic. There are several things every pet owner should keep in mind around Halloween to prevent poisoning your pets. Lets start with cats. Everyone has his or her own opinion on whether a black cat crossing your path is good or bad luck. But no matter which side of the fence you are on, black cats need to be protected around Halloween. Kids, and even adults can be very mean to cats during the times of costumes, witch-hunts and trickery. Please keep your cats, especially black or dark cats, protected by keeping them inside around Halloween time. Then there is the oh-so tasty candy. Store bought candy, home-made candy, bulk candy, chocolate candy, hard candy, soft candy, you name it, it will be eaten on Halloween. With all this candy around it is hard not to drop some or leave it sitting around, but several of these candies can be extremely toxic if not fatal to our sweet little four legged friends. Chewing gum that contains Xylitol (which most gums do) is the most toxic to our pets. And if eating the toxic gum is not bad enough, they inevitably eat the foil wrapper in the process of getting to the gum, which can cause a blockage. Chocolate is also another extremely toxic tasty treat that may turn up unaccounted for around Halloween, and if your two-legged kid didn’t sneak it, then you may need to consider the four-legged kid as a potential chocolate thief. The darker and more pure the chocolate, the more toxic it can be. If you think your pet has eaten gum containing Xylitol or any amount of chocolate, please immediately call Mobile Veterinary Hospital of Tulsa at 918-899-PETS. We will make sure your pet has the best chance at a full recovery.
