Candy, Cannabis and a Clock Change: A Boston Dog Owner’s Guide to the Week Ahead

Three things land in a row for Boston households this week: Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 31, the end of daylight saving time early Sunday, Nov. 1, and an Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that includes a statewide question on recreational marijuana sales. Each one changes something about life with a dog, and the most recent national poison-control data shows where the real risks sit.

What the poison-control numbers say

The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center fielded calls about more than 376,000 items that pets were exposed to in 2025, according to its annual Top 10 Toxins report. The rankings are a useful reality check heading into a candy-heavy weekend:

• Over-the-counter medications and supplements ranked first, at 16.9 percent of exposures.
• Food and drink was close behind at 16.4 percent, led by grapes, raisins, gum sweetened with xylitol, onions and garlic.
• Chocolate ranked fourth at 13.6 percent, and the ASPCA notes dogs are the most common culprits.
• Recreational drugs, a category that includes marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms, ranked tenth at 1.9 percent.

Put simply, a bowl of Halloween candy by the door is a bigger statistical threat to most dogs than anything else this week. But the cannabis numbers deserve attention too, because veterinarians say the cases they do see are getting more complicated.

Cannabis cases: rarer, but harder

Veterinarians interviewed by WESA, the public radio station in Pittsburgh, reported this spring that they are treating more pets that ate marijuana products, especially edibles and high-potency items, and occasionally dogs that picked up discarded joints on walks. Classic signs include dilated pupils, wobbling, a splayed stance and dribbling urine. Vets also described newer presentations such as a very slow heart rate, depressed breathing and abnormal body temperature, with effects that can last up to 72 hours.

Their advice was consistent: get to a veterinarian quickly, be honest about what the dog ate, and do not try to make the dog vomit at home with hydrogen peroxide. “The sooner you seek help, the easier it is for your vet to manage,” said Dr. Jennifer Graham, an urgent-care veterinarian quoted in that report.

Question 8 on Tuesday’s ballot

Massachusetts voters will decide Question 8, which would end retail sales of adult-use marijuana while still allowing adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce and would repeal the law that permits home cultivation, according to a Boston.com explainer. A “no” vote leaves current law in place. The UMass Amherst Poll, taken Oct. 5 to 12, found 31 percent of registered voters supporting the repeal and 61 percent opposed. The state’s adult-use market topped $1.65 billion in sales in 2025.

Boston Made Pets takes no position on the question. The point for dog owners is practical: whatever voters decide, cannabis products are already in many homes, and how they are stored matters more to a curious Lab than how they were bought.

The clock change and your dog’s schedule

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks fall back an hour. Dogs do not read clocks. A dog used to breakfast at 7 will be asking at what is suddenly 6, and the evening walk will happen in full darkness for many commuters starting Monday. Shifting meals and walks by 10 to 15 minutes a day this week eases the transition, and reflective gear or a clip-on light matters more once the 5 p.m. walk is a night walk.

The Boston Made Pets Take

Boston Made Pets sees this as a week for small, boring precautions rather than alarm. The ASPCA data is clear that everyday items, from ibuprofen in a handbag to raisins in a lunchbox to a bowl of chocolate bars, account for far more emergencies than anything exotic. Halloween compresses all of those risks into one evening: an open front door, costumes, strangers, and candy at nose height.

The cannabis conversation is worth having on its own terms. Regardless of how Question 8 turns out, edibles look and smell like treats, and vets describe cases that can take days to resolve. Owners who keep any such products should treat them like prescription medication: sealed, high, and out of reach. And no owner should hesitate to tell a vet exactly what happened; the vets in WESA’s report said plainly that their job is to treat the animal, not to judge the household.

What it means for you

• Saturday night: keep candy bowls off low tables and away from the door, and consider putting your dog in a quiet room during peak trick-or-treat hours so a door left open does not become an escape route.
• Check wrappers: sugar-free gum and candy can contain xylitol, which the ASPCA lists among the most common food exposures.
• Save two numbers now: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, 888-426-4435, and Pet Poison Helpline, 855-764-7661. Both may charge a consultation fee, but either can guide you while you head to an emergency clinic.
• Sunday: start shifting meal and walk times gradually, and add lights or reflective gear for darker evening walks.
• Tuesday: if you plan to bring your dog along to vote, check with your polling place first, since many public buildings limit animals other than service animals.