This terrific idea was posted today on the GH-List by Jeanni Kistler-Davis of DragonflyteCreations:

If you have a storm door that has a removable screen/window, take out the screen/window and when the kids ring the bell, you only have to open the inside door. With the storm door closed and locked you can reach right out with the candy and the dogs can’t get out!

We like this idea because of course you don’t want to leave a dog out in the yard on Halloween evening, but the constant ringing of the doorbell can be stressful for an animal.This way, the dog can help to greet visitors, calming his worries by letting him know what’s going on, without the risk of escape through an open door. And any little trick-or-treaters who are nervous of dogs will be reassured by the half-door that stays closed between them!

And, while we’re thinking about pet welfare on Halloween…

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has drawn up a list of their top Halloween safety tips for pet owners, including a reminder that many common holiday objects can be harmful to cats and dogs. Watch out in particular for:

• chocolate — as little as two snack-sized chocolate bars (or even 4 ounces of hot chocolate powder) can be poisonous to a small dog!
• candies and gum that contain large amounts of the sweetener xylitol;
• aluminum foil and cellophane candy wrappers, which can cause intestinal blockages;
• liquid potpourri;
• holiday decorations, particularly those made of glass or plastic — the animals will find decorations very interesting just because they aren’t used to seeing them around every day, and may be tempted to chew;
• electrical cords

Details are available on the ASPCA Poison Control Center website. Accidents can happen, however, no matter how careful we are — so do keep your veterinarian’s emergency telephone in a prominent place and make sure that everyone in the family knows where to find it.

A rumour has been making the rounds of pet owners lately. A widely-forwarded email message is causing alarm by claiming that Swiffer Wet Jet harms dogs because of an ingredient that is “one molecule away” from being anti-freeze.

This email is known to be a hoax — so there’s no need to worry, if you own a dog or cat and use this product at home. The manufacturer has posted a rebuttal on the Q&A section of their website. As well, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has issued the following statement in response to the Wet Jet rumour:

Veterinary toxicologists at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center have reviewed the claim described in a widely distributed email alleging a relationship between the use of Swiffer Wet Jet and liver failure in a dog. The email alleges that exposure to the ingredients in Swiffer Wet Jet caused a dog’s death.

The Swiffer Wet Jet system contains water (90-100%), propylene glycol n-propyl ether or propylene glycol n-butyl ether and isopropyl alcohol (1-4%). These ingredients are safe to use around pets when used according to label directions and would not cause liver damage at product concentrations. Propylene glycol n-butyl/propyl ether differs significantly from ethylene glycol, the potentially toxic ingredient present in most antifreeze products. Ethylene glycol is frequently implicated in causing renal failure in dogs following antifreeze ingestion. Propylene glycol n-propyl ether and propylene glycol n-butyl ether are very safe ingredients at levels used in cleaning products and do not cause kidney or liver failure.

Note that the product description for Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit does advise that you should “Keep out of reach of toddlers and pets to avoid accidental ingestion.” But of course, that applies to most of our household cleaning products — just good common sense!

In the various pet-owners groups where I hang out, a common topic of discussion is dangerous plants, and whether a favorite garden plant might be harmful to dogs, cats, horses, or other pets and domesticated animals who might wander up and start munching away.

What common wild and garden plants can harm your pets?

And what part(s) of those toxic plants would be harmful to the animals we love:

• Roots?
• Shoots?
• Leaves?
• Berries?
• Stems?
• Flowers?
• or all of the above?

Who knew that horses shouldn’t eat chives – or red maple leaves?

Horses are poisoned sporadically in the northeastern United States after they ingest red maple leaves. Signs of toxicity are similar to those seen with the Brassica anemia factor after animals ingest plants of the genus Brassica (such as canola, kale, cabbage).

Now we’ve got every hardy herbaceous plant known to eastern Canada and New England growing around this place, I think — no poison ivy, though, happily! — but I don’t spend a whole lot of time obsessing about whether our domestic dogs are going to start snacking on the Aconitum. Still, handy to have a searchable database of poisonous plants at my fingertips, courtesy of the Government of Canada, and a whole bookshelf of reliable field guides and reference books!