Halloween Treats for Dogs and the Candy to Keep Away

The safest Halloween treats for dogs are the ones made for dogs. Chocolate, sugar-free candy with xylitol, raisins, and candy wrappers can all hurt a dog. Keep the candy bowl up high, and keep a bag of dog treats by the door so your dog gets something each time the bell rings.

What to keep away from your dog on Halloween

The American Kennel Club names these four among the most common Halloween hazards for dogs.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine. The ASPCA lists vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, tremors, and seizures among the signs they can cause.

Darker chocolate carries more of both. The Merck Veterinary Manual puts cocoa powder and baking chocolate far above milk chocolate. Signs usually start 6 to 12 hours after a dog eats it.

Xylitol in sugar-free candy and gum

Xylitol is a sweetener in some sugar-free gum, candy, and baked goods. In dogs it can cause a fast drop in blood sugar, and larger amounts can damage the liver, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Signs can show up within 30 minutes. Read the label on anything sugar-free that comes home in a trick-or-treat bag.

Raisins and grapes

Small boxes of raisins turn up in trick-or-treat bags as the healthy pick. The AKC warns that raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs. The Merck Veterinary Manual says more than one grape or raisin per 10 pounds of body weight may be enough to risk kidney injury.

Candy wrappers

Many dogs eat the wrapper along with the candy. The AKC notes that a wrapper can get stuck in a dog's throat or gut, and some need surgery to remove.

Keeping the candy out of reach

A corgi sits on the kitchen floor looking up at a jar of Halloween candy kept high on the counter

Put the bowl up high. A counter or shelf works. Kids' trick-or-treat bags go up there too once they get home.
Walk your dog before dark. By the end of the night, sidewalks and lawns collect dropped candy and wrappers.
Give your dog a quiet spot. A gated room or a crate keeps your dog away from an open front door while kids come and go.
Save two phone numbers. Put your vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, (888) 426-4435, in your phone before the party starts.

If your dog eats candy

Call your vet, an emergency animal hospital, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 right away. The ASPCA line is open 24 hours a day, and a consultation fee may apply. Keep the wrapper so you can tell them what your dog ate and about how much.

Halloween treats for dogs to keep by the door

A doodle in an orange bandana sits at the front door and takes a Turkey Thin Chip while trick-or-treaters wait outside

Two of ours suit the night.

Turkey Thin Chips for the doorbell

Reward a calm sit every time the bell rings, and still keep the day's treats in check. Each Turkey Thin Chip has 21 calories and snaps into small pieces, so one chip covers several rewards. Turkey is the only ingredient, and we dry it at low heat to hold in the flavor.

Our feeding guide suggests 1 to 2 chips a day for dogs under 20 pounds and 2 to 5 for bigger dogs. Count the doorbell rewards toward that total. Beef, Elk, Pork, and Turkey Tendon are in the full Thin Chips lineup.

Beef Jerky Prime Chew for the evening

A long chew keeps your dog busy through the trick-or-treat rush. The beef jerky center in the Beef Jerky Prime Chew keeps dogs chewing longer than a biscuit would, and we make it without rawhide.

Each chew is a bigger treat at 188 calories, so our serving guide calls for 1 to 3 a week, depending on your dog's size. Stay nearby while your dog chews, and keep fresh water out. Prime Chews also come in Salmon, Dental, Pork, and Peanut Butter.

Get the treat bag ready

A border collie relaxes on the couch with a Prime Chew beside a glowing jack-o'-lantern

Keep Turkey Thin Chips by the door for the doorbell, and save a Prime Chew for the evening. We make both in Lenoir, North Carolina. Our family has made dog treats for about 30 years.