Trick or doggie treat?

Death by chocolate is no joke
No matter what you do this Halloween, be sure to keep your dog out of the stash of candy for trick-or-treaters and warn children not to share their loot with Rover. Chocolate in particular can be lethal to dogs. Each year, veterinarians across the country see a spate of accidental chocolate poisonings and deaths.

While you don’t need to rush your dog to the vet’s office if it eats a single M&M, it doesn’t take that much chocolate to be deadly, says Dr. Richard Goldstein, assistant professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “If a dog eats a whole bar of chocolate, it can cause serious toxicity.”

Cats are also sensitive to chocolate though not as much as dogs. The deadly culprit is a compound called theobromine, which is very difficult for dogs to metabolize and excrete from their bodies. Baker’s chocolate and other forms of dark chocolate contain much higher amounts of the chemical. An ounce of milk chocolate contains 45 milligrams of theobromine, while an ounce of baker’s chocolate contains 400 milligrams, says Goldstein.

“A toxic amount (of theobromine) is about 500 milligrams per pound of dog. So that means that for a 10-pound dog, you would need about 10 ounces of milk chocolate, but only one ounce of baker’s chocolate to cause death,” he says.

Raisins and black licorice are also toxic to dogs and can cause serious kidney problems. If you decide to give out boxes of raisins as a healthier alternative to candy this year, keep in mind that not only will your neighborhood kids like you less, but so might your dog.

Treats perfect for gobblin'
In general, it’s best to keep all treats made for humans out of the reach of pets. Even seemingly harmless wrappers and string from bags of homemade treats can be scarfed down and cause an intestinal blockage, requiring emergency surgery in some cases, says Goldstein.

Three Dog Bakery Pupkin cakes, made by Three Dog Bakery, offer a tasty treat for pampered pooches.

If you want to include your pet in the fun, a better solution would be to buy or make Halloween treats specifically for pets. Consider Halloween catnip toys for Fluffy or large beef bones for Fido.

For owners who want to go all out, there are a range of specialty stores offering gourmet Halloween treats for pampered pets. Three Dog Bakery, a chain of 32 stores across the country, specializes in biscuits, cakes and other foods for dogs made from human-grade quality ingredients.

"Everything we make, we eat it ourselves," says Dan Dye, co-founder of Three Dog Bakery. "We're probably the only company in history to do reverse animal testing — the humans try everything first before the animals get it."

This Halloween, Three Dog Bakery is offering pumpkin-shaped cakes, called Pupkins, made from whole grains, applesauce and honey, among other things. The frosting is a proprietary recipe, but Dye says it includes non-fat yogurt powder sweetened with oils. Carob is used to make the face on the pupkins.

"They are extremely healthy. And dogs love them," he says.

recipe     Howl-o-ween Tricking Treats Makes 14 bewitching treats – perfect for gobblin’ These frightfully good munchies are guaranteed to give your pup a boo-st! Ingredients: 2½ cups water ½ cup canned pumpkin ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 4 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup whole oats Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix water, pumpkin, vanilla and egg thoroughly. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a separate bowl, stirring well. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well, making sure no dry mixture is left. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick vegetable spray and spoon batter in, filling each cup completely. Sprinkle top of each muffin with oats and bake for approx. 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Cool completely and store in a sealed container. Recipe taken from The Three Dog Bakery Cookbook, written by Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff. ©2001, Andrews & McMeel Publishing. Available at www.threedog.com or fine bookstores everywhere.

Try some common sense
The sad truth is that while Halloween is a fun time for most kids and adults, it can be very traumatic for some pets. Each year many frightened animals become lost or injured, while others get sick and, in some cases, die from eating candy or chewing on costumes and decorations.

But, as with most things, a little prevention and common sense goes a long way.

“What you have to do is always remember that (pets) are like a 1- or 2-year-old kid," says Vetere. "Don’t do something to your pet that you wouldn’t do to your little kid.”

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