Treats no Tricks for your Furry Trick-or-Treater

Is it safe to put food coloring or dye on your dog as part of a Halloween costume?
Here is a question just in time for Halloween. As a general rule food coloring is non-toxic. The primary concern involves ingestion of the dye if the dog insists on licking his dyed coat. According to the Veterinary Information Network, the dye is not likely to cause a problem except to possibly discolor the urine as it is eliminated from the body. Purple urine from your dog would look rather strange, don’t you think? Also keep in mind that it may take 2-4 weeks for the dyed hair to wash or fade out.

Safe paints for animals are available. Simply check with your local pet store or Google “safe hair paint.” Finally, keep in mind the general wellbeing of your pet. Regardless of how well your “costumes” match, if the whole process of having the hair painted seems unpleasant for your pet, please have the guts to cease and desist or to say, “Let’s don’t do that again.”

If you would like to send a photo of your pet in costume or to ask a question about your pet – send an email to Dr. Philip Arnall