How to keep animals in mind for your SWFL Halloween preparations

Fifteen days until Halloween!

For many people in Southwest Florida, the spooky night marks the start of end-of-the-year celebrations. But all the decorations and treats can threaten pets and wildlife.

Halloween is supposed to be frightening. But for furry and feathered counterparts, they would rather be safe than scared.

Dr. Sharon Powell, the veterinarian and owner of Edison Park Animal Hospital in Fort Myers, said they see a lot of gastrointestinal upsets from animals getting into the Halloween candy.

When it comes to Halloween, she said pets would rather skip the tricks and get right to the animal appropriate treats.

“A 20-pound dog, if it consumes about two ounces of dark or semi-sweet chocolate, it can cause a rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, vomiting and diarrhea,” Powell said. “If it consumes more than that, it can actually cause muscle tremors, which lead to seizures.”

Powell also advises pet owners to watch out for decorations. Especially the type that lights up around your dogs and cats. “Particularly the dogs, but cats too, will get interested in it and they bite through the electrical cords,” she said, “and cause either mouth burns or electrocution.”

But, it is not just our pets to consider this spirited season. While the Shelli Albright, office and admissions manager at the Crow Clinic, said it does not see Halloween related injuries in wildlife often, creatures that go bump in the night may like those fake spider webs.

“Really anything that’s dangling, has like loose open ends,” Albright said. “So that they could maybe get their heads caught in it.”