Tips for keeping your pets safe during the fall season

Fall brings many good things, but it is also a particularly risky time for pets. Dogs especially love the season, but there are things they can get into that pet owners need to watch out for.

Caution is key around this time of year because, in their worst-case scenarios, your pet could get very sick or even die.

Veterinarian Dr. Mike Hutchinson of Animal General in Cranberry says more than just deer are spreading ticks.

"Peak season for deer ticks here in western Pennsylvania is May and September," Dr. Hutchinson said. "Every rabbit carries about 100 deer ticks. Every mouse carries about nine. Every deer carries about 500."

Even birds spread them, and to your dog, and you, it can mean Lyme disease and more.

"There's also anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a whole bunch of babesiosis. It goes on and on. There's about 15 of them, and that's the nightmare," Dr. Hutchinson said.

So what should be done when your pets go outside?

"I spray them with Listerine and water to try to repel ticks, and I have them on monthly preventives, but they come back and they still have ticks on them," Dr. Hutchinson said.

Check them and yourself carefully, but fall risks include things that fall to the ground.

"One or two acorns isn't going to kill your dog, but they have tannins in them that can end up causing kidney disease, so you want to be careful with the things that are on the ground."

You might not think watching football could be hazardous to your four-legged friend, but think again, especially when it comes to your game day spreads.

"We all like football on football Sundays, and cooked chicken wings can splinter and cause a perforation in the stomach, the intestines or even an obstruction. So those are big ones," Dr. Hutchinson said.

A swallowed chicken bone could require surgery, and with that comes the anesthesia risk and possible life-threatening complications.

Halloween candy can also pose serious risks to pets.

Dr. Hutchinson says one of his own dogs consumed a whole bag of candy before they caught him.

For that, he says, have hydrogen peroxide on hand to induce vomiting if that's what your vet tells you to do. There's no question that chocolate can be fatal for both dogs and cats.