Ep. 103 Halloween Hazards w/ Dr. Kerrie Robinson

In this episode of the Family Pet Podcast, the hosts discuss the various risks associated with Halloween for pets, including the dangers of candy ingestion and the anxiety pets may experience due to costumes and trick-or-treaters. Dr. Kerrie Robinson provides insights on how to keep pets safe during the holiday, including tips for managing their anxiety and ensuring they are secure. The episode concludes with fun Halloween facts and a reminder for pet owners to stay informed and proactive about their pets' health and safety during this festive time.

Takeaways
The biggest risk for pets during Halloween is accidental ingestion of candies.
Pet owners should contact their veterinarian immediately if their pet ingests candy.
Keeping pets in a separate room during trick-or-treating can reduce anxiety.
Microchipping pets can help in case they escape during Halloween.
Halloween decorations and costumes can be frightening for pets.
Using sound machines or loud music can help mask doorbell sounds.
It's important to consider a pet's temperament before taking them trick-or-treating.
The pet poison helpline is available 24/7 for emergencies.
Americans are projected to spend three billion dollars on Halloween candy this year.


Keywords

Halloween, pet safety, pet health, Halloween risks, pet anxiety, pet care, trick or treating, pet poison helpline, pet emergency, pet owners

Transcript

Family Pet Podcast (00:06.034)
Welcome into the Family Pet Podcast, the podcast for curious pet parents and I'm going to start all over. It's been a while since we've done this. Michael's going to use this as a blooper reel.

Family Pet Podcast (00:29.564)
Welcome into the Family Pet Podcast, the podcast for curious pet parents where we believe the more you know about pet healthcare, the better pet parent you can be. I am not Michael Shirley. I'm Stephen, taking over hosting duties today. And we have Dr. Carrie Robinson in studio with us today. Good morning. Good morning. It may be afternoon by the time somebody hears us. And we have Dr. Bones. For those of you who are not watching on the YouTube channel, you can't see Dr. Bones.

He doesn't have a whole lot to say today, but we are going to talk about Halloween and what associated risks and considerations for our pets. So Dr. Robinson, let's just jump right into it. What's the biggest risk? Why should we be concerned with our pets for Halloween? I'd say the biggest risk is just accidental ingestion of

Candies, you know, as most people already understand, there are certain things that dogs and cats are not allowed to eat. And a lot of those things are contained in most of the Halloween candies. So I'd say accidental ingestion of trick or treat candies. See, that's why I can't do chocolate.

So I'm not a chocolate eater. So I'm, I am already taking care of Maverick. I'm keeping the chocolate away. Well, good for you. He would eat anything else. Yes. So I tried to keep the starburst and the skittles away from him. Those are mine. Same, same. And, you know, got to make sure that after Halloween as well, that the children's candy bins and bags are put away in a location where the pets don't have access to them.

then as well. So let's kind of unpack that though. If my pet gets into the Halloween candy, let's identify that is not good. What should they do? I'd say the safest bet is to contact your veterinarian. Most of the time these things happen after hours. So of course we typically recommend veterinary emergency group or otherwise known as veg. They are a 24-hour emergency

Family Pet Podcast (02:52.292)
veterinary hospital and so you certainly could go straight there or contact them. The sooner that occurs after the ingestion the better because they may want to induce vomiting and generally we want to try to do that within you 30 minutes to an hour of ingestion if possible. The other option too is that you can contact the pet poison helpline and they are also available 24 hours a day and can assist in pet owners

knowing and understanding whether the ingestion is something that they should be concerned about or not. Now, we had Dr. Renee Schmidt on episode 74, I think, talking about the pet poison helpline, and that is something that is available to the general public, but also veterinarians can reach out to them. There is a cost associated with that. think it was $85, but if the client calls,

and then goes to the veterinarian or to the ER pet ER and they have to talk to it's still they can combine it into one charge. Yes. And I have dabbled a little in emergency care over the years and have definitely run into situations where that's been extremely valuable to be able to just hop on the phone, speak to a veterinarian. They're available 24 hours. There's no additional charge for the veterinarian to consult with them once the pet parent has paid that fee.

So, first steps, if your pet ingests some candy, the first thing to do is if it's during regular business hours, immediately call your veterinarian. If it's after hours, need to call the pet ER and or the pet poison helpline. Pet poison helpline, that doesn't flow off. But they can help with those processes. So that's something they might.

eat. That's a risk. Are there other things that we might need to be concerned about or aware of associated with Halloween and our pets? So we are fear-free certified practice. So you know we are certainly considering our pet patients' fears, phobias, anxieties a lot while they're here. you know Halloween happens once a year. A lot of spooky decorations come out. Flashing lights.

Family Pet Podcast (05:15.908)
face masks, costumes, and all of those things can be extremely scary to our pets and add to that, you know, constant ringing of the doorbell, people knocking on the doors. There's just a lot of agitation and there's the potential for our dogs to escape as we're, you know, opening and closing the door with the trick-or-treaters.

And you know, they're more prone to or inclined to want to escape if they have really high fear and anxiety as well. Okay. And so with that in mind, maybe not keep the pet in the living room by the door, keep them somewhere else. Yes, absolutely. So a separate room. And if you, if you have the ability to do that, turn on the TV really loud or have some music or a sound machine. So it kind of drowns out the noise of the, of the doorbell.

even oftentimes I had in the past, I've just sat out on my porch so that that eliminates the people knocking, approaching my door or, ringing my doorbell. but definitely having some type of a barrier, whether it be a pet gate or a door between that front door and the pets is ideal. That's a good point. Yeah. Maverick does not like the doorbell. He has figured out what the doorbell is and he goes.

My dogs have also gotten really keen on the ring alert that comes on my phone. So we've added that too. pets recognize all the opportunities. But yeah, good point and super important. It's maybe difficult for you, for listeners or viewers to fix now, but having a microchip. When we talk about a pet getting out, being microchipped can assist in getting back.

returning home. those are just a couple of quick tips. thing just to add, I know a lot of people think, hey, we're all going out as a family to trick or treat. Let's take our dog. And in some instances, that's fine. But there's just the element again, people in masks, kids running, kids wanting to approach and pet your dog, just a situation that may not necessarily be ideal for a lot of dogs. So just bear that in mind when you're considering that.

Family Pet Podcast (07:35.796)
hadn't even thought of, hadn't even thought about that. My kids are much older, it's been a long time since we trick or treated with our, with the kids. Well, thank you for, for joining on before we go, we have the section of our show where we invite our guests to share a fun fact piece of information where can help our listeners win trivia night at the local pub or impress their friends and family at dinner. What fun fact.

do you have related to Halloween? Well, I have been informed that Americans are going to spend three billion dollars on Halloween candy this year, which is astounding. Three billion dollars on Halloween candy. and we have two giant bags of candy at our house and probably aren't gonna be there handing it out because we'll be trick-or-treating with our four-year-old. I've been married for

29 years and we are 28 years 28 and half and whatever we have never bought Halloween candy We have never been at home to give out Halloween. That's smart. That's I think we're probably donating our neighbor. That's crazy. So yeah That's nuts my mine. I just brought my little fun fact candy corn Which is often listed as a favorite Halloween treat was originally called chicken feed

Back in the 1880s is when it's come from. Well, I it is shaped like corn. I mean, candy corn, but chicken feed. But pieces of information that we... A bonus fun fact for our listeners. But I guess that's going to be it. We just wanted to toss out this quick episode, real quick for the Halloween special for everyone listening. If you are wondering where have we been?

You got to find Michael. He's he's he's ghosting us. It's Halloween. So we have Dr. Bones, but Michael's ghosting us today. But we will be back. I promise we are going to figure out our schedule and getting back into the groove. But until next time, until you we find us in your feet again, stay curious.

Family Pet Podcast (09:59.196)
Okay, that was not terrible.