Halloween Candy: A Toxic Treat for your Pet
Christina Mehra, Staff Writer @ VetCentric.com

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could get even a few of those M&M’s or a lick of that lollipop? This same thought crosses Fluffy’s mind every Halloween as he sits, drooling, watching his human siblings chowing down on the night’s takings.

Alas, sharing Halloween candy with the pets has always been a big no-no. Every year, in houses decorated with jack-o-lanterns and cobwebs, savvy pet owners diligently keep children’s goodies (especially chocolate—which can be toxic to animals) out of pets’ reach.

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Pets and Halloween candy go together like jack-o-lanterns and roving groups of teen boys. Not a healthy combination.

"With any holiday you can guarantee we get a lot of calls about chocolate," said Dr. Jill Richardson, poison information specialist for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center.

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which are both methylxanthines. Methylxanthines cause central nervous system stimulation, rapid heart rates and tremors. Pets with chocolate toxicosis may have vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased urination, increased thirst, lethargy, cardiac arrhythmia and seizures. If the reaction is severe enough, the pet can die. Usually, people will return home after a short absence to find their pet has thrown up brown, chocolate-scented vomit around the house and is drinking excessive amounts of water, Dr. Richardson said. Those are the early stages.

The amount of methylxanthines present, and thus the danger, depends on the type of chocolate your pet eats. In general, the less sweet the chocolate, the more toxic it will be. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains almost seven times more methylxanthines as milk chocolate, Dr. Richardson said.

The best way to protect your pet is to keep it from getting into the candy in the first place. If you’re baking brownies or other Halloween treats, don’t leave it on the table or counter, Dr. Richardson said. "They will get it off." Pay close attention to your pets when you first get back from trick-or-treating, said Jacque Shultz, director of special projects for the Animal Sciences Division of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "They’ll be in there, checking out whatever [the kids] have." To keep the candy safe, take it out of the bag or pumpkin and place it in a large jar with a screw-on top, or a similar container with a lid, Ms. Schultz said. If you believe your pet has eaten chocolate, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center immediently.

Halloween is also a big party night, so watch out for food that gets left around afterwards, Dr. Richardson said. Pets that eat moldy food or moldy jack-o-lanterns can experience vomiting and diarrhea. They’ll also occasionally drink alcoholic beverages that get left around. Again, you should call your veterinarian if you find that your pet has ingested alcohol. The animal’s blood acidity will need to be lowered, and it may require intravenous fluids.

Finally, panicked owners often call the ASPCA Poison Control Center around Halloween to say that their cats are racing around the house, foaming at the mouth. But it’s not rabies—it’s glow-sticks—that’s causing these Old Yeller-like symptoms. Cats will bite into the glow-sticks or necklaces, and while the substance is harmless in all but the largest amounts, definitely more than the necklaces or sticks contain, it does taste terrible, Dr. Richardson said—thus the foaming and the running.

To help your cat, give it a little water or a highly tasty food, to wash the taste from its mouth. Don’t force the cat to eat—just leave the food on the floor and let them go over to it on their own, Dr. Richardson said. "It’ll probably take a few days to get over the trauma, but it’s never going to be life-threatening." Of course, unless you’ve actually seen your pet eat a glow-stick, you should call the veterinarian when you see foaming at the mouth. Unfortunately, there’s always the possibility that this is a worst-case scenario instead of just a minor Halloween scare.

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*Article courtesy of VetCentric.com
Originally published October 31, 2004
Written by: Christina Mehra, Staff Writer @ VetCentric
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