Halloween candy is everywhere for a few weeks — bowls by the door, bags on the floor, stashes in kids’ bedrooms. Dogs are champion candy thieves, and some of what’s in that bag can make a pet seriously sick. Here’s what’s actually dangerous, and what isn’t.
Chocolate is the big one. It contains theobromine, which dogs and cats can’t process the way we do. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous: baking chocolate and dark chocolate are the worst, milk chocolate is in the middle, and white chocolate has very little. Signs range from vomiting, diarrhea, and restlessness to a racing heart, tremors, and seizures. A big dog who steals one milk chocolate bar may only get an upset stomach — a small dog who eats a bag of dark chocolate is an emergency.
Sugar-free candy can be worse. Many sugar-free candies and gums are sweetened with xylitol (also labeled “birch sugar”). In dogs, xylitol can cause a sudden crash in blood sugar and, in some cases, liver failure — from amounts as small as a few pieces of gum. Check the label on any sugar-free candy in the house.
Don’t forget the raisins. Chocolate-covered raisins and the little boxes of raisins handed out as the “healthy” treat are a double risk: grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs, sometimes from just a few.
The wrappers count too. Foil, plastic wrappers, and lollipop sticks don’t digest. Swallowed wrappers can ball up and block the intestines — which means surgery. A pet who raids a candy bag usually eats wrappers and all.
Safer habits for the season. Keep all candy up high or in a closed container, never in the trick-or-treat bag on the floor. Make sure kids know their stash needs a closed door or a high shelf. Have a few of your pet’s own treats ready so they can join the fun safely. And if a costume is part of your pet’s Halloween, keep the candy far away from the photo session — the bowl on the floor next to a posed pet is exactly how accidents happen.
If your pet gets into candy — or you find chewed wrappers and can’t be sure — call your veterinarian or an emergency vet right away. Tell them the kind of candy, about how much, and your pet’s weight, and keep the packaging to show them. Don’t wait for symptoms to decide: with chocolate and xylitol especially, early treatment makes all the difference.
References
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets