Understanding what potential harmful poisons exist in your home and yard is the first step to keeping your pet safe. Some of them are very obvious and others might be new to you:
The APCC Poison Prevention Tips
Be a Cautious Cleaner.Some cleaning products can cause burns in your pet’s mouth or esophagus, while others can lead to liver or kidney damage. To keep your pet safe, store all cleaning solutions out of their reach and keep animals out of the way while cleaning and rinsing. A dog may choose to drink old dirty mop water over fresh clean water!
Bait-er Safe Than Sorry! Place baits for rats, mice, ants, roaches, etc. in areas inaccessible to your pets. Some baits contain ingredients like peanut butter that may attract a pet. Don’t forget that some pests—like mice and rats—may move bait into an area your pet can easily reach.
The “Don’t Even Try It” Diet: Never give human food to your pet without checking with your veterinarian. Grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs. If too much garlic or onion is ingested, red blood cells can be destroyed, causing anemia.
Steer Toward Safety: Automotive products such as gasoline, oil, antifreeze, tire cleaners and windshield antifreeze should be kept where pets do not have access. Clean up spills immediately, even if you don’t think a pet would go in the garage.
Rx Only. Pets metabolize and eliminate some medications differently than humans. Only give your pet medication recommended by your veterinarian. The wrong medication can cause severe illness or even death.
Prudent Planting. Identify plants in your house and yard and remove those that can cause severe or life-threatening clinical signs (a few examples include oleander, yew, sago palms and lilies). Check to see if plants are toxic before landscaping.
The Pest Test. Discuss flea and tick control with your primary care veterinarian. Always read the label before applying a product to your pet and follow the directions. Never apply products to a species if the product is not labeled for that species. If you have both dogs and cats, double check that you are applying the correct product to the correct animal every time.
Be Home Aware. When work is being done at your home (like pest control, cleaning or painting), be sure you know what products are being used. Knowing the correct name of products (or even better, the EPA registration number) will assure that your pet is receiving the right medical advice should ingestion occur.
Pill Protection. Keep all prescriptions and medications out of your pet’s reach, preferably in closed cabinets. Keep your pet’s medications in an area away from the family’s medications. This will help prevent a pet accidentally ingesting a human’s medication (and vice-versa!).
What to do if your dog or cat is poisoned:
Remove your pet from the area.
Check to make sure your pet is safe: breathing and acting normally.
Do NOT give any home antidotes.
Do NOT induce vomiting without consulting a vet or Pet Poison Helpline.
Call Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661.
If veterinary attention is necessary, contact your veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic immediately.
Accurate and timely identification of the suspected substance is very important. Having the container, package, or label in hand will save valuable time and may save the life of your pet
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