3 Hidden Fall hazards to be mindful of as pet parents according to a Veterinarian

Fall has arrived and that means that the leaves are changing. This is the time of year for Trick or Treating, pumpkin patches, and so many more seasonal activities. But what does that mean in terms of safety for our dogs?

Over the years, we have done plenty of pet safety stories. And this includes talking about fall safety tips. In fact, we recently did one with the help of a veterinarian where we talked about five Fall items to avoid as pet parents.

However, it feels like we are always learning new items that our dog needs to stay away from. And some are so obvious that we don't know how we haven't talked about them before. Luckily, we have Dr. Heidi Parrish from Mars Petcare giving us a few more safety hazards to be mindful of as dog owners.

So what were the three Fall hazards that Dr. Parrish pointed out that our dogs need to avoid that we hadn't even considered or talked about in the past?

3 more things your dog needs to avoid in the Fall

In answer to our question of what are some seasonal items to avoid as dog owners, Dr. Heidi Parrish broke things down for us.

"Antifreeze: Wipe up any antifreeze drips immediately and if you suspect your pet has consumed even a tiny amount of antifreeze, contact your vet immediately.
Halloween pet costumes: Be careful and understand your dogs’ comfort levels with anything on their body beyond their collars. Be sure that these costumes aren’t causing your dog stress or impeding their sight, hearing, movement or breathing.
Corn cobs: If ingested, corn cobs can cause a blockage in the gastrointestinal tract."

- Dr. Heidi Parrish

Perhaps the most surprising answer to our question was the Halloween pet costumes. Then again, every dog is different, and while one dog may not care about wearing a costume, another might hate every second of it.

One hazard that Dr. Parrish pointed out that did not make this list was "Campfires/bonfires, firewood, etc." Honestly, we would assume that pet parents would know that fires are a hazard as they can be unsafe even for us. But as our expert pointed out, "Fires can cause burns to dogs, and if firewood is ingested, it can cause stomach upset and possible gastrointestinal blockages." So we wanted to make sure that we included this fourth hazard as an honorable mention since it is 100 percent a danger, even for ourselves if we are not careful.