Pet Article
WHAT TO
I
KEEP OUT
O F PET S REACH
t can happen to even the best of pet lovers: You turn around for just a minute or accidentally leave your purse unattended, and your beloved furbaby ingests a potentially harmful or fatal pet poison.
So what can you do to try and prevent this from happening and to keep your babies safe from accidental harm? The first thing is to be educated on common pet poisons and remain diligent about keeping these items out of their reach.
For Cats
For Dogs
Here is a list of commonly found items around your homes that can be dangerous to your pets.
24 | 35 WEST | February 2020
For a complete list of pet toxins, visit the Pet Poison Helpline at www.petpoisonhelpline.com If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous item, contact your veterinarian or pet poison helpline immediately.
CHOCOLATE & COFFEE
GRAPES
ONIONS
Chocolate tops the food warnings. Caffeine and theobromine cause toxicosis and may bring seizures and death. Dark chocolate and cooking chocolate rank highest in harm, and we all know coffee has caffeine in it.
Grapes sound like a great snack, except for the acute renal failure your dog might incur. Your kidneys won’t fail, but theirs might. Raisins are really just dried grapes, so they count, too.
Onions kill canine blood cells, resulting Heinz Body Anemia which can be life-threatening. Onion powder in food is enough to do this, so attention to ingredients is crucial.
POISONOUS PLANTS
DETERGENTS & CLEANERS
Some common household and garden plants are very dangerous for cats. Only one bite of the petals or leaves can kill a cat! Even licking the pollen or lapping up water from the vase can result in severe, potentially irreversible acute kidney failure. Lilies are particularly toxic.
Laundry detergent, drain cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, and other household cleaners. Keep your cat out of the room while you’re scrubbing toilets or doing laundry. Some household cleaning products, when ingested by a cat, can cause profuse drooling, chemical burns, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. www.35WestMagazine.com
