Jill Bowen

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu

Recent columns

• Invisible fences aren’t best option for every dog
• Wrap pets in protection this holiday season
• Take treats so horse associates you with something good
• Illness or change in environment may cause cat to stop using litter box
• Column archive

Most years you have written about the dangers of Halloween for pets. I have looked for one of your articles that I saved but can’t find it. Could you please write about this subject again?

Halloween can be quite scary and also a dangerous time for pets. Dogs are more at risk from eating Halloween candy than cats,  because cats  tend to be fussy feeders while most dogs will eat anything, candy wrappers included. Some candies are sugar-free and contain xylitol as the sweetener. Dogs should not be allowed to consume xylitol in any form. Xylitol is about four times sweeter than sugar, and when eaten by a dog, it stimulates the pancreas to release an excess amount of insulin. This in turn, can cause hypoglycemia. Symptoms are weakness, tremors and seizures that can occur as long as two to four days after eating the candy. Xylitol can also cause vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage, anemia, unexplained bleeding and death.

Chocolate is the other big problem for dogs because it contains the stimulant theobromine. Baking chocolate and dark chocolate are especially dangerous. Milk chocolate is not such a problem, but in small dogs even a small amount of dark chocolate can be fatal. To be safe, dogs should not eat any form of chocolate. Signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination and restlessness that can escalate to seizures or even death.

Candy wrappers in large amounts in some instances can cause blockage problems. Giving a dog a high-fiber meal will increase bowel activity, and in some cases a little lubrication will also help pass the wrappers. Vaseline is the easiest lubrication to give, dosed at the rate of one teaspoonful per 10 pounds of body weight. Seek veterinary attention if your dog appears bloated and starts to vomit or strains to pass a stool with no effect.

Halloween can be overwhelming for some dogs and cats with the constant stream of people in strange costumes ringing the bell and coming to the door. Some dogs become wildly excited, barking and dashing at the door. The safest thing is to put both dogs and cats in a quiet room or crate away from all the excitement. Excited or frightened pets have a tendency to dart out through the opened front door and may be hit by a car or even get lost or stolen.

Dressing up a dog or cat in a Halloween costume may be fun for owners, but it is not usually fun for pets. Even if they will tolerate costumes, it is not a very kind thing to do and in some cases it can be dangerous. This is especially so if the costume has been secured with elastic bands. There have been many instances of the elastic bands coming off the costume, then getting hidden in the fur and over time, causing serious injuries by cutting off the blood supply to a limb or an ear.

Do not take your dog trick-or-treating with the family. Small children rushing past and yelling can upset even the most docile of dogs and in some cases the urge to give chase or even nip can be overwhelming with dire consequences.

Black cats should be kept indoors at Halloween as there have been reports of  people being cruel to  them, all because of the association of black cats with witches in the Middle Ages. Many animal shelters will not allow black cats to be adopted at this time of the year.