Halloween Safety for Your Dog

Before you begin reading this page, write your veterinarian’s phone number and the 24/7/365 ASPCA Poison help line (888)426-4435 where you can find it again. When you’ve finished reading this page, make a copy of those phone numbers for every telephone in your home. Put a copy into the cell phone’s contacts directory for each of your family members (I have mine under “ICE Dog Emergency” along with my family’s emergency numbers).

Halloween can be a fun time for your family, but not necessarily for your family’s pets. In fact, Halloween can be deadly to pets.

COSTUMES:

One of today’s less attractive pet fads is dressing up your dog (or cat) in those cutesy Halloween costumes. Please resist the urge to outfit your dog as a ghost, a witch, or a chef. Avoid anything that causes him to stumble, get tangled up in yards of fabric, or choke from something you or your children tied around his neck. I once declined to place one of my Standard Schnauzer puppies with a family who showed me photos of their previous dogs decked out in holiday attire hat could entangle them. Your dog would much rather look like a dog than “Yoda” from the Star Wars saga. Instead of a costume, why not get him a Halloween-themed collar or a Halloween toy he can enjoy safely at home?

FOODS:
Halloween treats are not good for your dog; they could even kill him. Grapes and raisins contain toxins that can cause kidney failure. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, also can kill your dog; chocolate comprises both caffeine and theobromine, which can seriously damage the nervous system, urinary system, and heart muscle. Beware of any baked goods made with nutmeg, which affects the nervous system. Especially watch out for candy or gum with xylitol as an ingredient; xylitol causes severe liver damage or death in dogs. If he goes trick-or-treating with your kids, make sure the children know not to share their loot with him–and why. It’s better, however, to keep him home so the kids don’t fall prey to his beseeching eyes and give him “just one” of the treats on his forbidden list.

FEARS:

Animals get stressed out when their routine is upset, just as humans do. Travel, dog shows, or parties will do it. The hustle and bustle of Halloween goblins and ghosties in strange costumes can scare your dog. The noise and commotion from trick-or-treaters may frighten him as well. Make sure your dog has a safe, quiet place with food and water so he can withdraw if the excitement becomes too much for him. Some people have had good luck calming their nervous dog with a Thunder Shirt, a calming shirt that works like swaddling on a baby http://amzn.to/2y6cH6h  . My advice is to avoid tranquilizers because they sometimes exacerbate the nervous behavior you’re trying to avoid. Instead, you might try NaturVet’s Quiet Moments Plus Melatonin  http://amzn.to/2yUMnLO. I’ve been pleased with all the NaturVet products I’ve tried, Friends and family say Quiet Moments also works well to calm their dogs before grooming sessions. My dogs think their NaturVet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotics  http://amzn.to/2i7vHGM soft chews are a treat—they each get three chews plus a segment of an orange every morning.

GENERAL HAZARDS:
Often in the commotion surrounding a holiday such as Halloween, we forget to consider the needs of our dogs. Put those Halloween treats in sealed dog-proof containers, preferably containers that keep enticing aromas from tempting your dog. Avoid scented candles, particularly when unattended, both because of the often-poisonous ingredients and because of the fire hazard they represent if your dog should drag or knock them off the table. Liquid potpourris or sachets that smell like pumpkin pie or baking cookies, while pleasant to you, can cause heat and chemical burns and welts to your dog’s skin and oral damage if ingested. If you enjoy decorating for autumn, be sure whatever you put in your home is safe for your pet; be careful if you decorate with cornucopias and the like that the fruits and nuts are safe for your dog. No grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, or other unsafe fruits.

If you have guests who smoke, ask them to do so outside, and impress upon them to be careful disposing of their cigarette or cigar butts. E-cigarettes are even more hazardous to pets (and you and your kids!)–they emit toxic fumes that stay on furniture, flooring and clothing; the toxins are absorbed into the body when those surfaces are touched or licked, and can be absorbed into your dog’s pads or your family’s bare feet from residue on flooring. Nicotine poisoning is a fast killer for dogs, and chewing on (or swallowing) cigarette filters isn’t good for them, either.

Your trash can is an enormous source for things hazardous to your dog’s health:
* bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella;
* small bones that could cause choking or intestinal puncture;
* wads of used aluminum foil that, if chewed, can block your dog’s intestines;
* string used to tie meat or poultry;
* peelings or rinds that can have gone bad.

POISON:
If you suspect your dog has ingested a poisonous substance, call your veterinarian and the ASPCA Poison Control Help Line at (888)426-4435; it’s attended 24/7/365, so you can always reach help (https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control). The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, http://www.aspca.org), founded by Henry Bergh in 1866, is both the oldest animal humane society in North America and the largest in the world. You can find resources such as lists of dog-safe and dog-toxic plants for your home and yard, lists of safe foods for your dog, and lists of unsafe foods–for example, a list of people foods your pet should never eat: https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/people-foods-pets-should-never-eat

SYMPTOMS OF POISONING: Look for blue, purple, white, brick colored or extremely bright red gums or tongue. Seek immediate medical attention for a heart rate over 180 beats per minute. Take your dog’s temperature, which should not be over 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (39.2 Celsius). Notice if your dog is losing its balance or appears disoriented. Look for vomiting and diarrhea. Be alert to heavy panting lasting longer than 30 minutes or wheezing. Notice any sudden appetite loss. Take your dog to a veterinarian if you suspect poisoning. See further instructions at  https://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-Poisoning-in-Dogs.

Cooking for Your Dog

© 2017 by Suzanne T. Smith

This post is a modification of my Standard Schnauzers column in the AKC Gazette, July 2013.

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine.”

I wrote a cookbook, Cooking for Your Dog [1], especially for a historic event  for the three Schnauzer breeds—Standard, Miniature, and Giant.  Held at Purina Farms west of St. Louis, Missouri, Schnauzapalooza was the first time the three breeds’ parent clubs joined their National Specialty dog shows at the same place and time. I sold the book as part of one of the event’s special features, The Art of the Schnauzer. In addition to lots of canine nutrition information and over 60 great recipes for dog food and treats, the book included more than 400 photographs of puppies ranging in age from shortly after their birth to a year old. The book’s cover graphic is the Chinese Zodiac symbol for The Year of the Dog.

Dog food manufacturers claim only they can provide a dog’s “complete and balanced” diet. Domestic dogs have thrived on their own scavenging for over 4000 years, but the commercial dog food industry has existed only since about World War II. Healthy dogs can eat what we eat—their diet, balanced over time like ours, is more complete with home-cooking. Commercial foods, even those touted and sold by veterinarians, often lack elements crucial to your dog’s health. Continue reading Cooking for Your Dog →

How to Deal with Dog Fights

When I began showing Standard Schnauzers in 1967, another exhibitor warned me that if ever a dog fight broke out in a nearby ring or ours, I should run in the opposite direction. Not long after that warning, I saw what he meant when two St. Bernards began to fight in the next ring. To this day, the sound of a dog fight strikes terror to my heart. Cat fights, dog-cat fights, any animal fights—all ugly sounds.

Over the years, it has been my displeasure to break up an assortment of dog fights. Most were little tiffs about treats or a favorite toy. Some, however, were fairly serious, usually about territory, food, or a love interest. The higher the value a dog places on the object of the fight, the more intense the dog fight will be.

Dog Fights Injure Dogs and People

Dog fights can seriously injure both dogs and people. Most dog breeders I know have assorted small scars on hands and arms from breaking up dog squabbles—not because the dog meant to bite a person, but because in the heat of the moment, the dog isn’t thinking clearly. Years ago, one of my dogs was ranking high in national competition when he got into a fight with his son over food. The resulting injuries made him unshowable for the remaining four months of that year.

One such dog fight happened around midnight after I returned home from breeding Daisy (Ch. Wüstefuchs Ellen-of-the-Dale CDX, a lower-on-the-pecking-order female). I dropped her into our fenced yard with her mother, senior lady dog Frosty (Ch. Tru-Lov’s Frosty Lace CD). Frosty took great exception to the idea that anyone other than herself was permitted sexual frolicking. She attacked Daisy vigorously. My scolding and yelling at them didn’t stop the fight. I was bitten when I foolishly stuck in my hands to separate them. Although I got them apart with help, I ended up at the local emergency room to tend multiple bites on my hands.

I was alone for my worst dog fight ever. My hostile father-son duo, Charley (Ch. Wüstefuchs Karl) and Hoodlum (Ch. Wüstefuchs Robin Hood UD), who had lived separately in animosity for years after a previous skirmish, somehow got into the same sub-yard at the same time. Canine Armageddon erupted! I don’t know where my superhuman strength came from, but I managed to grab two 60-pound, snarling, fighting male Standard Schnauzers by their neck scruffs, one in each hand, and hoist them on opposite sides of a 6-foot fence. They hung there for seeming eternity, teeth into skin. Finally they tired at about the same time. Both sets of teeth unclamped, and the dogs dropped to the ground. The worst part of the event was herding into a separate pen all the other dogs, who were biting at the feet of the combatant hanging on their side of the fence.

Dog Fights in Training Classes

A recent online discussion about breaking up dog fights, specifically in the dog training environment, reminded me of this. In the class environment , assuring the safety of both dogs and people is paramount.

• If your dog is one of the fighters, running away isn’t an option. Get yourself and your dog far away from the dog fight, and keep your dog under control.

• If you are teaching the class, begin each class by instructing the owners not to rush in to “help” if a fight breaks out. Instead, tell your students to get their dogs and themselves to safety.

• As an instructor or assistant, get the non-combatants and their owners to safety, preferably outside the classroom or building. Only when uninvolved dogs and people are safe should you try to break up the dog fight.

I have no advice, however, about how to deal with quarreling people in the class.

Methods for Breaking up Dog Fights

• Late Standard Schnauzer owner/breeder, Mel Doerr, DVM, a veterinary epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control, claimed that dog fights between females usually could be halted by a loud scolding voice, but serious fights between males often are to death. I have never found scolding to be effective with females, much less with aggressive males.

• Some claim that dog fights can be stopped by dumping or hosing water on the fighters, but I’ve found this method results only in wet fighting dogs. This is a poor option.

• In my experience,  the best way to break up fighting dogs with minimal injury to all is to get a stout barrier between them (NOT your hands!), such as a sheet of plywood or even a dog bed. Eventually, either the dogs can be separated or they will cool down of their own accord. However, cooling down spontaneously isn’t likely if dog tempers are running high, so separation is your best option.

Unfortunately, dogs have long memories, especially for doggy insults, so you may have to maintain the separation for a long time. The antagonism between my father-son duo lasted for years with them separated by at least two closed doors at all times—not a pleasant way to live.

Not long ago, a friend asked me about dog-related charities that he and his wife, childless except for their dogs, could remember in their wills. That got me thinking about the incredible service dogs out there, so I wrote about this subject in my January 2013 column in the AKC Gazette.

Over the years, numerous news stories have featured dogs who sniffed out illnesses, including a Standard Schnauzer whose nose could detect cancer. Back then, I thought “How interesting,” but I didn’t tumble to our Standard Schnauzers—Murphy (Rainbow Bridge1999 at 14), Emma, and Clancy—sniffing and nose-nudging my left breast. Then in 2005, a phone call after a routine mammogram informed me I had left-breast cancer. Surgery turned up five small slow-growing malignancies; my surgeon thought they had begun growing at least twenty years before detection (there are two morals to this story–get your mammograms, and pay attention when your dog is trying to tell you something!).

In the USA, the Code of Federal Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (www.ada.gov/pubs/ada.htm) defines a service animal as “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.”

The Act gives persons with disabilities the right to be accompanied by their service animal anywhere the general public is allowed. Additional federal laws protect people with disabilities partnered with service animals from discrimination in housing (the Fair Housing Amendments Act: www.ada.gov/cguide.htm) and on aircraft (the Air Carrier Access Act: www.disabilitytravel.com/airlines/air_carrier_act_details.htm).

Service dogs help those with visual or hearing impairment live near-normal lives. The late Nancy Aronstam (Stone Pine Standard Schnauzers) worked tirelessly for Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc, San Rafael, California (www.guidedogs.com).

Assistance Dogs International is a coalition of organizations that provide trained service dogs (www.assistancedogsinterrnational.org). Their website states: “Service Dogs…can be trained to work with people who use power or manual wheelchairs, have balance issues, have…autism, need seizure alert or response, need to be alerted to other medical issues…, or have psychiatric disabilities.” These dogs can retrieve objects out of their person’s reach; pull wheelchairs; open and close doors; turn light switches off and on; bark to indicate help is needed; find and lead another individual to their person; provide balance and counterbalance to assist ambulatory persons in walking; provide deep pressure; and many other individual tasks needed by a disabled person.

Seizure dogs assist persons with epilepsy (4pawsforability.org). Hairless or short-coat dogs provide soothing heat for people with chronic pain like fibromyalgia or arthritis (pawsforcomfort.com). Autism service dogs are trained to help calm their owners, minimize emotional outbursts, and help advance social skills (autismservicedogsofamerica.com). Diabetic alert dogs (dogs4diabetes.com) sense chemical changes in persons when blood sugar gets low. Trained service or therapeutic companion dogs (soldiersbestfriend.org) help our military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

At http://www.akc.org/dogowner/training/therapy/index.cfm is a summary of the AKC’s new Therapy Dog program, explaining the difference between service and therapy dogs, how  to earn the ThD title, and contact information for national and regional therapy dog organizations.

Our furry friends help strengthen immune systems, lower blood pressure, soothe emotional distress, elevate mood, relieve depression, increase seratonin and dopamine levels, reduce anxiety, combat stress, listen without judgment, absorb tears, provide fun and companionship, and most important, give unconditional love.
Shouldn’t we give back by contributing time or money to any of these dog-related charities that train dogs to help us?

Copyright © 2013 Suzanne T. Smith. All rights reserved.