Posted on 10/20/2009 6:26:49 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Which is a greater threat to your pets at Halloween: ritual satanic sacrifice, or your kids' trick or treat bag?
Yes, it's that time of year when the flood of cult cat sacrifice stories start piling up in the inbox, with that breathless "forward this to everyone you know!" tag line. (Note to my readers: Pet related or not, there has never been a message that should be forwarded to everyone you know. Trust me on this.)
Which means it's also that time of year when I wish that the people who worry about cat sacrifices would instead worry about far more common and preventable holiday threats to our pets. Like the fact that chocolate, while a wonderful and healthful food for humans, is toxic to dogs and cats. Or that the sweetener xylitol, while beneficial to human blood sugar levels and dental health, can be fatal to dogs and cats even in very small quantities.
Veterinary toxicologist Dr. Steven Hansen of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center said that Halloween is to veterinarians what April 15 is to accountants.
"Calls about pets who have become ill after eating chocolate spike their highest around Halloween," he said. "We manage several thousand of these calls every year."
The problem with chocolate is that dogs and cats, unlike humans, are very sensitive to the caffeine-like substances it contains. The darker the chocolate, the greater the risk. While a single Hershey's kiss won't harm even a small dog, as little as four ounces of dark chocolate could cause seizures in, or even kill, a dog who weighs 40 pounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Last year my kid left one of those dark chocolate Hershey bars (the large ones) within reach of the dog. She weighs about 5 pounds, so needless to say, she got good and sick. The vet bill was $200 or thereabouts.
The rule in our house is, if I catch a candy bar within reach of the dogs, it is going to end up in the garbage.
“dogs and cats, unlike humans, are very sensitive to the caffeine-like substances”
Well, I don’t know whether you’re right there. The substance in chocolate may or may not be related to caffeine and I’ll to make a stab at the spelling but I think it’s “theobrine” (or something like that). Apparently, these animals’ liver cannot process it and toxicity results.
She is in good with God.
“The rule in our house is, if I catch a candy bar within reach of the dogs, it is going to end up in the garbage.”
No! No! No! It goes into Mom’s STASH in the locked, fire-proof safe. ;)
We have a Yellow Lab pup, too. Lucy. 18 months, now. They’re the Best. Breed. Ever. (Any color Lab; we’ve had two others.)
chocolate + friendly rabbit = evil Monty Python Rabbit.
My 90 lb Lab ate about 6 ounces of dark chocolate once. All that happened was that he puked it up, wrappers and all, on the white Berber carpet. I had to replace the carpet cause no amount of cleaning, even by Service Master, could remove the stain.
“The rule in our house is, if I catch a candy bar within reach of the dogs, it is going to end up in the garbage.”
Gotta go with Diana in WI on this one...
Besides, if it ends up in the garbage, technically that only moves it one step closer to the possibility of the dogs getting it... (just kidding).
>No! No! No! It goes into Mom’s STASH in the locked, fire-proof safe. ;)<
Chuckle. Well, if it went in Mom’s stash in my house, it would stay on Mom’s butt for eternity; so I think the garbage (strategically placed beyond reach of determined canines) is the better idea.
You’re right. Chocolate is made from the fruit (beans) of the cacao tree. Theobromine, a component of chocolate, is the toxic compound in chocolate. (Caffeine is also present in chocolate, but in much smaller amounts than Theobromine.)
*waiting for the pic of the chocolate lab”
I didn’t think it was ritualistic satanic sacrifice that posed a threat to pets during Halloween. I thought it was dumbass teenagers seeing the day as an excuse to raise some hell, except for black cats whose primary threat comes from misguided pseudo-Christians.
Had friends with a chocolate lab - his name was Hershey!
That was Easter.
The Halloween threat was too my duck flock and I don’t even wish to remenber what those sickos did to them.
Awwwwwwe!
Awwwwwe!
I’m not familiar with that breed of cat. ;^)
Damn good costume.
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