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Paws & Claws

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas. She lives in Blacksburg now, and answers local pet owners' questions every week in The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com.

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Q Just about every year you have written something about what to do and what not to do for our pets at Halloween. Are you going to do something similar this year? I noticed that my dog magazine was advertising all sorts of costumes for my little terrier -- expensive, but cute. What are your feelings about putting dogs into fancy outfits?

A Although many people think it would be great fun to include the family dog in Halloween festivities, this is not a good idea. Neither tricks nor treats are good for your dog, and children running around screaming in strange costumes can be quite scary to even the most laid-back of dogs.

First of all, chocolate and candies are not good for your dog. Chocolate can be dangerous in large amounts, especially if it is dark chocolate and the dog is small. It causes gastric irritation, and there have been fatalities in the very young or very old dogs that have eaten dark chocolate, especially bakers chocolate, which is used in cooking. A dog's digestive system is not adapted to cope with sugary sweets or theobromine, an ingredient in chocolate.

Children running around screaming in costumes and masks can be frightening to a dog, and, conversely, dogs may frighten the children, especially if the dog attempts to jump. On the days around Halloween, walk your dog while it is still light outside and prevent him from eating any candy wrappers, candy or broken eggs.

If you do decide to let your dog greet the trick-or-treaters at the door, have your dog on a short leash because the constant stream of visitors to the door may make it very stressed. In some cases your dog could bolt out of the door and become disoriented and even lost because of all the strange activity in the area. It's far better to keep all of the family pets securely in a back bedroom with their bed and favorite toy than to run the risk of them running out of the house and getting lost or hit by a car. Leaving a radio and the lights on in the bedroom will make them feel more secure and help mask the noise of the doorbell.

Do not leave your pet outside at Halloween even if it is in a fenced yard. Pranksters may open yard gates and let dogs out. Other dogs have been egged when their barking has annoyed people, and, of course, there is always the risk of somebody feeding an unsupervised dog candy or chocolate. All these strangers rushing past the yard can make many dogs very defensive.

Please do not dress up your pet in a costume. Most animals hate being forced into strange clothing and at best will put up with it. In the worst case it may freak your pet out, causing it to become acutely distressed. A bandanna tied around the neck is probably enough. However, if you are determined to dress up your pet, make sure the costume fits correctly and does not impede the pet's breathing, eyesight or hearing. Make sure it is impossible for any elastic items or decorative pieces to be swallowed because they could cause bowel obstructions or choking. Do not use elastic bands to secure any part of the costume; there have been some very serious incidents involving elastic bands that have gone unnoticed. One dog lost the tip of its tongue because of constriction by an elastic band that it had licked off, and in another case a dog lost a foot because of an elastic band that cut through the flesh to the bone over a matter of several days.