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Halloween is here, and though you might get a kick out of the adorable witches and ghosts who come trick-or-treating to your door, your dog or cat may not be as thrilled. Don’t let October 31 become you and your pet’s worst nightmare. No one wants to spend Halloween night looking for an escape artist pet or rushing their pet to the emerg.

Here are five Halloween hazards for cats and dogs, and what you can do to prevent them and keep your animal safe.

1. Keep Costumes Comfortable and Safe

Giardiasis is a diarrheal disease that can affect many species: dogs, cats, and even humans. It’s caused by Giardia, a single-celled parasite that attacks the gastrointestinal tract of infected animals.

Among experts, there is some question about the number of Giardia subtypes that can cause disease in animals and the potential of these subtypes to also infect humans. Though humans are susceptible to infection with Giardia, infection by the same subtypes prevalent in animals is thought to be exceedingly rare but remains a point of controversy and investigation.

The parasite lives in the intestines of infected animals and humans, and infected individuals pass the parasite in their feces, in the form of cysts, into the environment. These cysts can remain infective for months, especially when conditions are cool and humid. The infection is transmitted when a host ingests water from a contaminated pond, lake, or stream or ingests contaminated food or soil. Outbreaks of giardiasis are more common when animals are housed in crowded conditions, such as in kennels or shelters.

Symptoms and Identification

Clinical signs of giardiasis typically develop within five to 16 days after exposure to Giardia. In many cases, infected pets show no or slight signs of disease. Signs can include:

• Weight loss
• Appetite loss
• Diarrhea (sometimes severe and with a very bad smell)
• Flatulence
• Vomiting
• Lethargy (tiredness)

Because these signs can also be caused by many other diseases and health concerns, a complete physical examination and basic diagnostic testing of the stool and blood are recommended.

Several types of fecal tests can be used to diagnose giardiasis. In some cases, tests may need to be repeated more than once to obtain a definitive result.

In most cases, the disease course is mild. Some animals — particularly puppies, kittens, or animals with underlying health conditions — may have more severe diarrhea and vomiting and may require supportive therapy with fluids and anti-nausea medications. Dehydration can be a serious concern in these cases.

Treatment

There are medications for treating giardiasis, but the infection can be difficult to cure, so multiple courses of treatment may be necessary. Pets should be bathed frequently throughout treatment to remove infective cysts from the coat.

Because pets that have been treated have no immunity against future infection, these pets can easily be reinfected. Therefore, living areas should be disinfected; ammonia, dilute bleach solution, or steam cleaning can be effective.

If there are other pets in the household, medications may be administered to them as a preventive measure — and because identifying the infection can be frustrating it’s reasonable to assume other pets in the household have been exposed to the same Giardia sources and are likely to be infected. Contaminated soil can remain infective for months under certain conditions, so walking treated dogs in a different area may reduce the risk of reinfection.

Prevention

Giardia is common in the environment. Outdoor dogs and cats and indoor pets that swim or have contact with potentially fecal-contaminated water can be at risk for exposure.

Preventive measures should include regular removal of feces from the yard or kennel. As much as possible (or reasonable, given the need for exercise and general quality of life), prevent pets from drinking from, or swimming in, lakes, streams, and ponds.

Most veterinarians recommend testing new puppies or kittens or adult pets for Giardia before they are introduced to your other pets.

Though it is considered controversial whether humans and pets can be infected by the same subtypes of Giardia, it is always a good idea for people to wash their hands after playing with pets or disposing of fecal material (infective or not).

Why Microchip?

It is recommended that you identify your pet even if you don’t plan to let him or her go outside. Even “indoor” pets can get out by accident, and many lost pets are never returned to their owners because they have no identification. Collars and tags are popular, effective methods of identification, but they can come off. Microchips, which are implanted just under the pet’s skin, are one way to permanently identify pets.

What Is a Microchip?

A microchip is a tiny electronic device—about the size of a grain of rice—that uses radio waves to transmit stored information when it is read by the right kind of scanner. Microchips for pets generally store a unique identification number. They do not need a power source, and they have no moving parts, so they do not wear out. Microchips are made of a material that is compatible with body tissues, so rejection and infection at the site are rare.

After injection, the microchip becomes encased in the tissue at the injection site. It may move slightly, but it usually stays at or near the place it was injected. To read the chip, a compatible scanner must be passed over it. Different microchip companies use different chips; however, there are scanners that can read all kinds of chips.

The Microchipping Procedure

Many veterinary offices have the equipment to implant and scan for microchips. Each microchip comes preloaded in a sterile syringe. To implant the chip, the veterinarian inserts the needle just under the pet’s skin between the shoulder blades and pushes the syringe plunger. The entire procedure, like a regular injection, is very quick and does not require pain medication or anesthesia.

How the System Works

When a lost or injured pet is taken to an emergency room or shelter, he or she can be scanned for the presence of a microchip. If the pet has a chip, the scanner reads the pet’s identification number. If the chip has been properly registered, the shelter or hospital can provide the number to the microchip company, which maintains the owner’s contact information. The microchip company then contacts the owner, and the pet can go home.

Microchip Registration and Maintenance

To complete the microchipping process, you must register your pet’s microchip with the microchip company. Some companies charge an extra fee for registration. Unless the microchip company has your information, there is no way for the identification number on the microchip to link you with your lost pet.

Keep the contact information you give the microchip company (e.g., street address, home and cell phone numbers) up-to-date. You many want to confirm this information every year.

It is recommended that you continue to keep a collar on your pet and that you put a tag on the collar indicating (1) that your pet has a microchip and (2) the name of the chip manufacturer.

During your pet’s regular physical examinations by your veterinarian, the microchip should be scanned to ensure that it accurately transmits the identification number. Scanning is painless and only takes a few seconds.

 

This blog was written by McQueen Animal Hospital, an animal clinic (vet hospital/vet clinic) in Brampton committed to providing only the highest level of veterinary care to our beloved pets.