Dangerous Halloween Candy for Dogs
Your dog is ready to trick-or-treat with the family, and they have their bucket ready to be filled. The only problem is most candy is toxic or dangerous for dogs to eat. It’s best to give your pet doggie treats or homemade dog snacks instead of candy. Sometimes dogs have a sneaky way of accessing candy, such as grabbing some when the kids are not looking. Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and are often attracted to the delicious scent of chocolate, which is toxic for dogs. This means you need to do your best to keep the following candy away from your dog this Halloween!
Chocolate Bars and Treats
Chocolate is toxic to dogs because it contains theobromine. This ingredient is a molecule that is similar to caffeine and is responsible for increasing the blood flow to the brain. This flow is difficult for dogs to process, and consuming even a small amount can be toxic and fatal. Even a small bite of chocolate can still lead to seizures and other symptoms. If you catch your dog eating chocolate, take them to the animal hospital or veterinarian’s office immediately.
Tip: An excellent way to keep chocolate away from your dog is to remove it from all of the Halloween candy and place it in the refrigerator or in a cabinet where your dog can’t reach it.
Sugar-Free Candy that Contains Xylitol
Xylitol is very toxic for dogs and is found in most sugar-free candy. Carefully read the ingredients on the candy package or hide any sugar-free candy from the Halloween buckets to help prevent your dog from having access to this toxic substance. The reason Xylitol is toxic is that a small amount causes extremely low blood sugar that leads to liver failure, seizures, and death in dogs.
Chocolate Covered Raisins
As you already know, dogs can’t eat chocolate, but chocolate-covered raisins often go unnoticed when picking chocolate out of the Halloween buckets to prevent your dog from accessing this toxic candy. Chocolate-covered raisins are doubly toxic for dogs because raisins contain tartaric acid, which is poisonous for dogs. Consuming raisins can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, excessive thirst, kidney failure, kidney damage, and acute renal failure. Keep raisins and grapes away from your dog during Halloween and all year long.
Bubble Gum
It might seem like a fun idea to give your dog bubble gum and watch them chew it over and over again. However, since gum does not break down, it can be a choking hazard for some dogs and can cause digestive issues. In addition to being a choking hazard, most gum contains Xylitol for sweetness and can result in a massive insulin release and plummet your dog’s blood sugar to a dangerous level, leading to severe health issues.
Even if you carefully read the ingredients on a bubble gum wrapper and it doesn’t have Xylitol, it’s still best to avoid giving it to your dog. Small dog breeds are especially at risk of choking on chewing gum, whether it contains Xylitol or not.
Additional Tips for Keeping Your Dog Safe
As a responsible pet parent, you might feel panicked about your dog being around candy during Halloween. Here are a few tips to help prevent your dog from accessing dangerous candy:
- Don’t give your dog a bag or bucket for people to place candy inside. Dogs often grab the candy out of the person’s hand and start chewing on it with the wrapper on before pet parents notice.
- Teach the kids not to give the dog candy. Tell them they can feed the dog special doggie treats only.
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