Beware of the many dangers Halloween presents to your pets.

Trick-or-Treat candy is not for your furry friends. Some of the goodies can make them sick and even cause life-threatening emergencies.

Kathleen Engelby, practice manager at North Ogden Animal Hospital, said chocolate is poisonous to cats, dogs and ferrets because of the large amounts of methylxanthines it contains. When your pet eats even a small amount of chocolate, the result can be vomiting, diarrhea and excessive thirst and urination.

Larger amounts of chocolate can cause tremors, seizures, irregular heartbeat and possibly death.

"They can get very very sick and their liver can even start to shut down," said Candice Robinson, a veterinary technician at Animal Medical Clinic of Bountiful. "If they eat chocolate you need to bring them in. Induced vomiting might have to be done, depending on the size of the animal and the amount of chocolate ingested. We may also give them charcoal, which helps to absorb the chocolate."

A simple stick of gum from your Halloween bag could also be deadly to your pet because of Xylitol, a sweetener found in many brands of chewing gum. Robinson said if a pet ingests Xylitol, it can cause a rapid drop in blood sugar and can shut down the liver.

Raisins are another big concern, Engelby said. So are nuts, mints and even the foil in which they are wrapped.

While Halloween candy is a big concern for veterinarians, there are other safety hazards to consider during the spooky holiday.

Because cats and dogs rely on a daily routine, the holiday noise and commotion may frighten or agitate them.

"Don't leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween," Engelby said. "There are plenty of stories of pranksters on this night. Be careful of pets around a lit pumpkin. They may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned."

Engelby said pets should also be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat hours as strangers in strange garb can frighten them.

In addition, be sure your animals are wearing collars with identification tags just in case they escape.

"Don't dress the dog in costume unless you know he loves it," she said. "Otherwise, it puts a lot of stress on the animal. If you do dress up your dog, make sure the costume isn't constricting, annoying or unsafe. Be careful not to obstruct their vision and get your dog used to wearing his or her costume before Halloween."

Engelby said to be particularly watchful if you have a black cat.

"Unfortunately, during Halloween, black cats are the targets of pranks, mischief, or worse; that can put them at high risk of being harmed," she said. "People with black cats should be extra careful about keeping their cats safe during this time."