URBANA, Illinois: What do human medicines, insecticides, pet meds, plants, rodenticides, household cleaners, chocolates, chemicals, physical hazards and home improvement products all have in common?
Well, if you guessed that they are poisonous for your dogs and cats, then you must be a genius. Yes, you heard it right - all these things are poisonous to our furry little friends, according to the Animal Poison Control Center (ASPCA), the premier poison control center in North America.
ASPCA manager and veterinary toxicologist Dr. Steven Hansen, told Pet Age magazine that a large percentage of the more than 116,000 reported pet poisoning reported last year fell into these categories. This number increased by about 10,000, or 28 percent over the previous year. Although we are still uncertain why, pet poisonings are continuing to rise significantly.
So, before anything else happens to your cute, fuddly-duddly, the ASPCA has published a list of things of which to be careful, especially when you're off to work leaving your beloved pets home alone.
Here are the top ten most-common household items which caused serious sicknesses or even death to our beloved dogs and cats in 2006.
1. Human Medications: You can't watch your pets when you're out of the house. Don't leave your medicines out in the open, lying anywhere. They can be deadly to your dogs and cats.
2. Insecticides: This includes all flea and tick medicines. Before using them, make sure to read and follow the instructions to the letter. Don't invent new ones along the way. Also, it would be wise to consult a veterinarian before using them.
3. Pet meds: Again, read the product labels and use them only for what they are intended for. Don't mix and match them. If it's made for a dog, don't use it on your cat.
4. Plants: If you don't eat it, don't let them eat it. Chances are these plants are poisonous.
5. Rodenticides: If it's made to kill rodents, it can definitely kill your pets too! So, be careful where you put your rodent pet control products.
Pet poison myths as debunked by Pet Age
- FALSE: Using Swiffer Wet Jets on your dog can cause liver failure
- FALSE: Silica gel packs when consumed is fatal
- FALSE: Fabreze Fabric Refresher can be dangerous to pets
- TRUE: Macadamia nuts make dogs lose the use of their hind legs
- TRUE: Pennies are very poisonous to pets, damaging their kidneys, liver, red blood cells and even their gastrointestinal tract
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6. Household cleaners: These are meant to clean your house, not the insides of your pets. As with any chemical, keep it hidden safely.
7. Chocolate: You might find chocolate delicious, for you but it's definitely not good for your pets. It contains too much sugar and caffeine which is bad for them. There are also other human foods that are poisonous for your pets.
8. Chemical Hazards: Petroleum-based products, alcohols and acids are just some of the chemicals that are dangerous not only for pets but for people as well, so keep them in air-tight containers and inside cabinets where your pets cant reach and get at them.
9. Physical hazards: As with babies and young children, you cannot give them anything small as it may choke them. Your pets are your babies too.
10. Home improvement products: Pets don't need to be in construction areas where home improvements are being carried out. They aren't carpenters, electricians or even plumbers, so keep them away from those places.
There are many other ways your pets can get into trouble and poison themselves, but if you keep them away from the ten areas listed above, you are well on your way to pet-safeing your home.
Having a pet is like having a baby in the house. you don't want things lying around coz babies put anything in their mouths and touch anything they see. Some people even child-proof their houses! Same goes with pets. Your pet is your baby.
The moral of the lesson is do NOT leave anything possibly dangerous to your pet dog or cat especially when you leave the house. Make sure to always keep them safe. Nuff said.
Whoa. I didn't know macadamia nuts were bad for dogs- I love em! Good thing I haven't tried feeding some to my boyz!
What can i do if my dog gets poisoned, it's hard to get an appointment with my vet sometimes. I have three kids and they give our dogs everything, they give them chips, chocolates and they concoct experiments from whatever they can find in the fridge and of course -- Peppie would be their more than willing taste tester. Are there any home remedies for poison?
I love chocolates, and I've been trying to turn my dogs into fellow chocoholics. I kinda thought it would be cute but it turns out I'm doing more harm than good. Thanks petshed! You saved my doggies!
How about homework? Are those toxic too? Cos I think lots of dogs have at one time or another allegedly ate a homework or two lol!
i have cats and kittens, and these guys run around and play at night for the most part. one thing i've learned the hard way is that you have to keep everything tucked into a cupboard or something they otherwise can't have access to. i swear they're smart- they can almost open the cookie jar and help themselves to it!
bacon shud be on the list. its not good for dogs too.
I had no idea there are so many things we have to look out for at home- even the petcyclopedia article was lots of help. Great work, Pet Shed, you've done a great service with this one!
Hey bacon is OK! Jorja has em everytime! (OK maybe not ALL the time...)
realy? coz my shih tzu shed off more dan usual wen i gave him bacon.
in addition to the list....any processed food like hotdogs and bacon are also bad for them. it has preservatives that may do more harm than good. so better play it safe. avoid giving them human food altogether.
as far as i'm concerned, it's is always better to play it safe. i wouldn't like to give my pets some human food that might not be safe for them to eat. anyway there are already a lot of new treats for dogs like ice cream and beer specially designed for them.
I heard that there are a lot more foods that are poisonous. I'd rather be safe. That's why I just give them good quality dog food. And treats once in a while. At least i know its good for them
That's great news. I don't even get why they have to test perfumes and cosmetics on pets, that's cruel.
I always knew chocolates were bad for dogs and even warned my friend about it when he was about to feed his new dog Federico but when questioned why, I lamely answered,"That's what they said." I felt stupid but didn't bother to find out why. Now I know. METHYLXANTHINE. Hah! Now at least I have something smart to say. I'll check out the petcyclopedia as well just in case something else stumps me!