Fall safety & your furry friends: Aromas and flavors of autumn could be dangerous to our pets
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The fall season is a wonderful assault on our senses - from the aroma of cinnamon to the decorating, to the treats, it all blends together to make the approach of winter a little more bearable.
While we all may like it, it can be dangerous for our pets.
Some of these things you might give a second thought to, but your pet might be attracted with devastating results.
Straw bales, corn stalks, and Indian corn have all become hallmarks of the harvest season.
"Believe it or not, we take corn cobs out of dogs all the time," explained Dr. Mike Hutchinson of Animal General, Cranberry. "If they're lucky they pass them but that's only if they're lucky most of the time we have to do surgery to remove them."
Dr. Hutchinson said pets will eat just about anything so we had to ask about a lot of those fall favorites, including those apples which are in abundance right now.
"You know we always talk about the seeds could be bad for them but my dogs all eat apples from the apple tree and we don't have any trouble we just don't want to excessive apples," he said.
It could lead to diarrhea, but much like apples, Dr. Hutchinson said to be aware of things falling from trees.
"Acorns are a problem for dogs," he said. "They contain tannins and that can affect your kidneys. If they eat one or two, that's not a big deal, but some dogs go out there and they obsess about them, especially puppies."
Dr. Hutchinson said to avoid nuts, especially things like macadamia nuts because they could cause paralysis in dogs.
However, raw pumpkins in appropriate amounts can be good.
"Not the pumpkin pie mix, not pumpkin pie, anything with sugars, especially artificial sweeteners, can be extremely dangerous for our pets," Dr. Hutchinson explained.
Lastly - avoid grapes or raisins.
"As little as 12 grapes can cause kidney failure in a Labrador-sized dog, so we want to avoid grapes, raisins, any of those things," he said.
He also warned us to be careful with the scented candles and potpourri we have out this time of year.
"We like that smell but that can be very irritating to dogs and cats, and it can even kill birds," he cautioned.
Some other things he said for pet owners to be on the look out for - mushrooms in your yard. While some are okay, others can be toxic, and if you're putting out rodent repellents make sure it's out of your pet's reach because it can be fatal to them.