Halloween Treats Can Be Deadly For Your Cavalier

While we all enjoy the other joys of the Halloween season, few things would be worse than losing your beloved pet because your Trick or Treating loot was accidentally left within reach of your clever and curious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

It’s well-known that chocolate in any form is dangerous for pets, but did you know that sugar-free chocolate (or any other candy, including gum and breath mints) can be lethal within minutes? Xylitol is a common sugar-substitute found in sugarless candy and gum that causes animals to first become lethargic, suffer coordination problem, and begin experiencing seizures. Veterinarian Dr. Eva Evans has written that if pets survive the initial symptoms, they will often lead to severe liver damage and ultimately, to liver failure.

Also worth nothing are the ‘healthier’ types of Halloween treats, such as raisins. A member of the grape family, raisins can cause sudden kidney failure in dogs (as well as cats) and although it is not known what toxic agent is responsible, are fatally toxic.

Hard candy, although delicious, is slippery and can too easily become lodged in your Cavalier’s windpipe, so aware of the dangers of those, as well!

We wish everyone a Happy Halloween, but more importantly, a safe one!