6 tips to keep your pets safe as leaves begin to turn and autumn approaches

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Fall is approaching, and that means football parties, pumpkin patches, and more are on the way, but with fall comes different risks for your furry friends. Here are six tips to keep your pets safe this fall.

Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization that operates several shelters in Utah, released a list of tips to help keep dogs and cats healthy and safe this season.

Images courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society

Fall means that leaves are changing, and there is increased debris on the ground. If you want to enjoy the outdoors with your animals, make sure to keep a close eye on them, and stop them from eating leaves, acorns, or mushrooms. They can be toxic to pets and cause digestive issues, blockages, or death.

Ticks do not go away with the end of summer. In fact, they can still be an issue well into the fall months, so it’s important to check your pets for ticks and use tick preventatives year-round. Make sure you use tick prevention recommended by your pet’s vet, and it’s also a good idea to avoid high risk areas like tall grass or other dense vegetation.

Fall is football season, and that means you’ll probably be having some game day favorite snacks and meals like wings, pizza, and burgers. It’s important to keep an eye on your food, because these rich, fatty foods can cause an upset stomach or even pancreatitis. Chicken wing bones can break or splinter in a pet’s stomach and cause obstruction. If you want to make it special for your pet, get them some seasonal, fall-inspired treats.

As fall goes on, days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer, and it can be easy to lose a pet outside in the dark. Make sure your pet has an ID tag and is microchipped, because taking these steps can make it much more likely for a pet to be returned to you if they go missing.

Allergies can be just as bad in the fall as they are in the spring. Fallen leaves release mold and pollen that can make your pets itchy, give them ear infections, or cause asthma-like symptoms. Keep an eye out for excessive scratching, licking, or coughing, and get them allergy treatments from your vet if the symptoms don’t go away.

It can get cold in the fall, with some areas seeing early frosts. Senior pets, pets with chronic illnesses, and dogs with short coats can be especially susceptible to the cold and may need a light sweater or jacket when outside in the cold. If you have water bowls outside for your pets, make sure there is no ice in them, and don’t leave your pets outside for long periods of time once the temperature gets below 45 degrees F.