Something that is okay for a person may not be okay for an
animal! Pets are smaller than people and you should treat them as you would a child. Keep dangerous products lockes up and
do not use human drugs on a pet unless a vet says you can!
Here are some things to be cautious about!
Chocolate:
People like to eat it and dogs do too! The problem is dogs can get violently
ill or even die when consuming too much! A toxic dose is 1/2 an ounce of baking chocolate per pound of body weight. So don't
leave out any brownies on the counter or give a dog a candy bar for a snack, it could kill him!
Pennies:
According to the ASPCA's National Animal Poison Control Center,
pennies minted after 1982 are composed of copper around zinc core. If an animal swallows a penny & digests part of the
outer copper core, or the if the zinc is already exposed, the zinc can be poisonous, affecting the blood, kidneys and liver!
Anti-Freeze:
The most common ways small animals are poisoned! Dogs like the sweet
and bright liquid and lap it up. It only takes 1/2 a teaspoon per pound of dog to get a toxic dose, and less for cats! It
also kills small children!
Garbage:
If a dog eats decaying food like left-over meat (or road kill) the
bacteria can poison dogs and make them violently ill or kill them. Make sure the garbage is out of reach!
Teflon:
When cooking with Teflon, keep birds away! If you forget the pan
on the stove & it becomes white hot, the release of toxins in the air can cause severe damage to a bird's lungs! As a
matter of fact, it might be a good idea to keep your pet birds away for the kitchen.
Cleaning Products:
Since many pets use the toilet bowl as a water bowl, make sure you
keep lids down in the event that toilet bowl cleaners aren't completely washed out. Dish washing detergents & pine cleaners
are also very toxic!
Flea Products:
Each year, hundreds of animals are poisoned by products designed
to rid pets & the house of fleas. If a dog has a particularly bad infestation of fleas, people sometimes decide to put
on more flea product than is prescribed. Or they use the same dog flea medicine on the cat. That can cause poisoning! Causing
pets to vomit, drool or have diarrhea.
Drugs:
Vets widely prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for
animals but the dosages are much lower than for humans! Sometimes people give their pets aspirins, Aleve and Advil in an effort
to help relieve animal arthritis, but instead end up killing them with an overdose!
2 regular strength aspirin can poison a small dog, and it takes
less to kill a cat! They can also cause stomach ulcers & severe kidney problems. Tylenol should never be given to pets!
They don't have the enzyme to detoxicify the drug the way humans do. One tablet can result in clinical signs of poisoning
for cats, while two tablets can kill cats or dogs!
Plants:
Many plants are poisonous to pets! Here a few:
Rhododendrons, Azalea, Poinsettia, Lily of the Valley, Japanese
Yew, Wax Begonia, Night Shade.
If an animal is poisoned, call poison control right
away!
1-888-426-4435 (1-888-ANI-HELP)
ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center