Halloween Pet Safety Tips for Your Dog or Cat

by | Oct 22, 2017 | Informational

Halloween Pet Safety Tips for Your Dog or CatHalloween Safety Tips for Keeping Your Dog or Cat Safe

Even though Halloween can be a fun and festive time for your children and family, in many cases that is not t same for your pet. In fact, for many pets Halloween can be a nightmare for these family members. Stress and danger can be very real for many pets. Please take the time to read this article and hopefully your pet will have a happy Halloween also.

 

Candy and Halloween Treats Safety Tips:

“All forms of chocolate, especially baking or dark chocolate, can be dangerous, even lethal, for dogs and cats.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures.
Halloween candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can also be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar and subsequent loss of coordination and seizures. And while xylitol toxicity in cats has yet to be established, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Halloween Safety Tip – Confine Your Pet – Keep Inside and Away from the Door

Keep your pet inside. Don’t put outside. It has been known that pranksters have teased, injured, stolen, and even killed pets on Halloween night. Be careful and avoid this potential tragedy.

Keep your pet away from the door. Your door be constantly opening and closing on Halloween. Also strangers will be dressed in unusual costumes and yelling loudly for their candy. This could be scary for your pet. Dogs being territorial may become anxious and growl at innocent trick-or-treaters. Putting your dog or cat in a secure room away from the front door will also prevent them from darting outside into the night and who wants to be searching for a lost pet on Halloween?

Especially, If your pet is scared of strangers or has a tendency to bite, be sure to put it in different room when trick-or-treating is occurring or give your pet a safe place to hide.

If you have an outside cat, keep the cat inside a few days before and after Halloween. Do not let cat to be outside on Halloween. Black cats are especially susceptible to pranksters and most humane shelters do not adopt out black cats in October.

Plants and Pumpkins Halloween Pet Safety Tips

All pumpkins, corn and any other Halloween plants need to be out of reach to all pets. Even though these are generally nontoxic, these can induce gastrointestinal upset if your pets should ingest them in large quantities. Also, Intestinal blockage can even occur, especially with corn cobs, if large pieces are ingested.

Also don’t keep lit pumpkins around your pet. They could possibly knock it over, burn themself or even start a house fire. A curious kitten is especially at risk of getting burned or singed by candle flame.

Halloween Decorations Pet Safety Tips for Dogs and Cats

If you have electical decorations be sure wires and electrical cords out of reach. If chewed, your pour pet chews on the decortions it could be cut from shards of glass or plastic. If the electricl cord is chewed the peourt could get possible life-threatening electrical shock.
If you use glow sticks and have glow jewelry, be sure to keep it away from your pets. Even though the liquid material in these products is non-toxic, the taste is really bad and will makes your pet salivate profusely and act weird.

Halloween Pet Costumes Safety Tips

It is best not to put a pet in a costume unless you know that they love being dressed up. Also place the costume on your pet the before Halloween. This will give a chance to see how your pet reacts to the costume. Take the time to get your pet accustomed to the costume before Halloween, and don’t leave your pet without supervision while wearing a costume.

If your pet gets distressed, becomes nervous, or demonstrate other abnormal behavior, just let go in their “birthday suit”. Use a simple festive bandanna instead.

“The ASPCA recommends that you don’t put your dog or cat in a costume unless you know he or she loves it. If you do dress up your pet for Halloween, make sure the costume does not limit his or her movement, sight or ability to breathe, bark or meow. Check the costume carefully for small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that could present a choking hazard. Ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.”

Pet Halloween Safety Tip – Have Proper ID

While opening and closing the door for trick-or-treaters, be diligent that your dog or cat doesn’t rush out the door. Just in case, be sure your pet is wearing proper identification, a collar with ID tags (be sure that the information is up to date) or a microchip can be your best way of finding a lost pet.

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Heat Stroke – Common Dog and Pet Problem in Brandon Florida

by | Jul 19, 2016 | Physical Injuries

It is that time of year again. Living in Florida, as a pet owner, heatstroke is very common here in the Sunshine state and you should know what precautions to take. Also recognizing when heatstroke may be affecting your pet and what steps need to be taken if this occurs are essential.

The following article from the Veterinary Emergency Clinic (Learn About Heatstroke in Pets) provides some basic information about heatstroke.

Heat Stroke

One of the best things about living in Florida is the gorgeous weather we get to experience year round. However, we must also endure month’s humidity and high heat during the hot summer months. Just like it’s important for us to stay hydrated and protect ourselves from the sun, pets need to have certain precautions and care from the sun as well. At the Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Central Florida (VEC), we unfortunately see many animals (mainly dogs) suffering from heat stroke all through the high heat months.

 

Heat stroke in pets’ occur when an animal’s body temperature increases to a dangerous temperature of 105 degrees or over. This is known as hyperthermia. Heat stoke begins with your animal panting, hyper salivating and having difficulty breathing. These symptoms can quickly progress to bloody diarrhea, collapse and even death. Heat stroke in your pet can be extremely dangerous and requires immediate veterinary attention.

 

Heatstroke generally occurs in hot summer weather when:

  • Animals are left with inadequate ventilation in hot vehicles or garages. (Cracking a window is NOT enough!)
  • Animals are left outside without proper shade or water.
  • Animals are exercised in hot/humid weather.

If your animal does become hyperthermic, move your pet to a cool environment, take their temperature (if able) and seek veterinary care immediately. DO NOT put your animal in an ice bath. Cooling an animal too quickly can be harmful. To help avoid heatstroke in your pet, walk them in the early morning and evening time, and keep them inside in the peak hot hours of the day (12pm-4pm). Additionally, make sure they have access to water.

 

Additionally, as of May 2016, Florida passed a law stating that people may break into a locked car if there is reason to believe that a pet or vulnerable person (like an infant) is in immediate danger. The person breaking into the vehicle may not be sued for property damage if:

  • They have checked to make sure the vehicle is actually locked.
  • Have a reasonable belief, based upon the known circumstance, that entering into the vehicle is necessary because the vulnerable person or domestic animal is in imminent danger of suffering harm.
  • Called 911 or law enforcement either before or immediately after breaking into the vehicle.
  • Use only the necessary amount of force to break in.
  • Remain with the person, child or animal until first-responders arrive on the scene.

 

With all the fun that our Florida summertime can bring, an added responsibility to our beloved pets is also required. By paying close attention to their moods and behaviors, and by being aware of how to prevent heat stroke in your pet, you should be able to enjoy the hot months in Florida.

 

If you suspect your pet may be suffering from heat stroke, seek veterinary care immediately. Remember that complications may arise when your regular veterinarian is closed, so it’s important to know where your closest Veterinary Emergency Clinic is located.

 

 

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Warning – Canine Influenza (Dog Flu) is Back in Brandon FL

by | Jan 17, 2016 | Diseases

Last year, the dog flu hit Chicago with a vengeance. A new strain of dog flu has been spreading in the United States with the main area of concern at this time is in the West. One recent case has occurred in Montana. Also the Washington State Health Department is warning pet owners about the possible spread of this new strain. Seattle has been affected where at least 90 dogs have been exposed and some dogs testing positive for the disease.

Luckily the disease is rarely fatal but your pet should be seen by your veterinarian if you suspect anything is wrong. General symptoms are coughing, lehtargy, not eating or just being tired. All could suggest your pet has a fever. Dogs get sick just like us when we get the flu. The disease spreads rapidly in dogs that are not immune. Grooming shops, boarding kennels, doggy day care and dog parks are places where the virus can spread rapidly.

 

 

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