Halloween Safety for Pets

Keep your pet happy and healthy and out of harm's way this Halloween with these 5 tips!

Keep candies and candy wrappers away from pets.

Chocolate is dangerous and sometimes fatal for cats and dogs if consumed. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning may include vomiting, diarrhea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and seizures. 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. Don’t forget that the wrappers treats are contained in can be harmful or a choking hazard for your pet.

Keep pets confined indoors and away from the door.

Halloween is the prime holiday for vicious pranksters to take advantage of animals left outdoors. Avoid any harm done to your pet by keeping them indoors. Black cats especially fall victim to unjust mistreatment during the month of October.

Your door will also be frequently opening and closing, revealing strangers in unfamiliar attire. This may frighten or upset your pet, especially dogs, who become territorial. Secure your pet in a room away from the noise and activity of the night.

Keep pumpkin gourds and autumnal decor out of reach.

Although nontoxic, pumpkin in large quantities can lead to gastrointestinal upset. Lit pumpkins around your pets is also dangerous, as well as decor which they can chew on an ingest. This goes for your furry friend gnawing on electrical cords to lights, causing a life-threatening electrical shock.

Don’t dress your pet up in a costume unless you know they love it.

Check for their ability to move freely and do not constrict their ability to breathe or make noise. Also note any allergic reactions or odd behaviors prior to the day by trying the outfit on beforehand.

Identification preparation.

Be sure your pet either has a tag or is microchipped prior to the festivities should they find a way of escaping, be it due to all the activity or parties. Read up on the safe practices of microchipping your pet.

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Related articles:

• Chocolate Poisoning in Dogs

• Howl-o-Ween Treats
  

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Microchipping your pet: pain-free, worry-free

What is microchipping?

Microchipping is a step which you can take to assure that should your pet get loose out into the wild, you two can be reunited. It can be done with a variety of animals, including horses, dogs, cats, ferrets, and most other mammals.

It is a process that involves a grain-sized microchip placed under the skin of the pet. Should your pet get picked up by a local vet or shelter, the unique number can be used to identify you as the owner and provide contact information. The more chances of pet reunification, the less homeless animals roam the streets and bide their time in shelters. What the chip does not do is act as a GPS-tracker to specifically locate your pet.

The most important step— registration!

Once the chip is in place, you’re probably thinking—all set! My work here is done. Not quite. Due to privacy-protecting protocols, microchip companies require the owner to personally register their pet’s microchip and input their personal contact information into a password-protected portal. This assures not just anyone can get ahold of your pet. You might be thinking the facility that has scanned your pet now has all of your information, but fear not.

Privacy-protecting protocols

Your privacy is protected through the microchipping company, which acts as your middleman. For example, when the vet scans your pet, they will receive a unique identification number that they will share with the microchip service when declaring a found pet. The microchip service will then reference the number in their database and reach out to you with the details of where your pet is and how to get ahold of the vet. This assures that your private information is not being shared with third parties.

Effectiveness of microchipping

Involving over 7,700 stray pets, the number of non-microchipped dogs that were safely returned to their owners was just under 22%. Whereas, dogs with implanted microchips have a 51.2% chance of being reunited with their owners.

Pain-free, worry free

A Datamars Microfindr microchip is the size of a grain of rice which contains a radio transmitter and a minute electronic device containing the animal’s ID number. It is placed between the shoulder blades of your pet. Think of the pain level similar to an injection or vaccine. Microchipping takes mere seconds and does not require putting your pet under any anesthesia.

Because microchips use radio-frequency identification technology, microchips do not require a power source like a GPS. When a microchip scanner is passed over the pet, the microchip gets enough power from the scanner to transmit the microchip’s ID number. Since there’s no battery and no moving parts, there’s nothing to keep charged, wear out, or replace. The microchip will last your pet’s lifetime.

PetLink at River Landings Animal Clinic

PetLink is the service we use here at River Landings Animal Clinic. This service, in particular, offers lifetime registration and no update fees. The service is available to you 24/7/365. Give us a call to schedule a chance to micro chip your pet today.

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Related Categories:

dog health

cat health

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