Poison Prevention Week: Keeping your Dog Safe
Keeping your dog safe is our goal; our dogs are like our children, they’re always finding ways to get into things that we could have sworn was out of their reach or locked away. That’s why there’s a national holiday about raising awareness on poisons found in and around our homes that could harm our pets. It’s called Poison Prevention Week, when all the country’s top veterinarians and pet lovers get together to make sure our pets are safe from potential threats. Here are a few basic items that you should be aware of:
Outdoor Dangers
If you, or your neighbors, use insecticides or pesticides, they can pose an extremely dangerous long-term risk for your dog. Direct contact may produce unusual behavior, like lethargy, nausea, and vomiting, but the real damage is done slowly, over time, causing renal failure and cancer.
Household Cleaners
You’ll want to limit exposure to fumes by breaking up your cleaning tasks that use harsh cleaners throughout the day or simply switch to organic, homemade cleaners. If you use toilet cleaners, be sure to leave the lid down when you’re letting it set, those mixtures can be potent if a dog manages to lick it.
Candy
Hard candies aren’t poisonous, but they are fatal choking hazards. Chocolate is also a big cause for emergency vet visits, of course. Candies that contain Xylitol can also be fatal or extremely damaging to the liver, so be careful with gums and certain medications. You should keep dark, baking chocolates well out of reach of dogs, as they can prove deadly in small amounts.
Drugs
You should obviously avoid leaving any drugs around your dog. NSAIDs can cause renal failure, OTC cold medicines can cause your dog to stop breathing, and etc. ADD and ADHD prescriptions can cause seizures and heart failure.
Insect and Rodent Bait
All very potent poisons when ingested by dogs are extremely dangerous. Even a few licks can cause permanent damage to organs and the brain. Insect baits are unlikely to be fatal, but can cause them to be very sick. Dogs that may already have a compromised immune systems are at an even higher risk of becoming deathly ill as a result of exposure.
Remember, there’s no such thing as being too careful when it comes to securing your home for your pets. If at any time you have a suspicion that your pet may have gotten into something that they shouldn’t have, call your local vet or poison control center immediately. If their behavior is very unusual, take them to the nearest vet, don’t risk potential damage to their organs.
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