Halloween and Fall Safety

Pet costumes used to be the exception. Now though, cute, funny, scary costumes are becoming the norm for pets of all shapes and sizes.

Does your pet have a costume? Please share your stories and photos here.

White chocolate poses little toxicity risk (but may cause pancreatitis), dark chocolate is considerably more toxic. All chocolate should be kept out of pets' reach.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol - an artificial sweetener created from birch, raspberries, plums and corn. It is found in many products, including gum, baked goods, and toothpaste.

Dogs that eat even a few sticks of gum (amount of xylitol varies significantly between brands) may be at risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels and liver failure.

Grapes and raisins may be toxic to some dogs. At this time the toxic element remains to be identified, and not all dogs appear to be sensitive. But for those dogs that are, eating grapes or raisins may be fatal.

Here is a case report of "Annie," a 30 kg (66 pound), three-year-old, female Black Labrador Retriever ingested 12 oz of raisins from a holiday gift box.

The colder days encourage bread and cinnamon roll baking in many households. Caution is advised however, as yeast bread dough poses a hazard to pets who decide to sample it.

Dough left out to rise poses a two-fold risk: 1) the dough may rise after ingestion, causing intestinal obstruction, 2) the yeast can ferment sugars, creating a secondary problem of ethanol (alcohol) poisoning in the animal.