Pet Article
WHAT TO GRAPES
For Dogs
I
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. Here is a list of commonly found items around your homes that can be dangerous to your pets. 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.
16 | LANTANA LIVING
| February 2020
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.
For Cats
CHOCOLATE & COFFEE
ONIONS
LILIES
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.
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.
Lilies are particularly toxic, including the following varieties: Tiger lilies, Daylilies, Asiatic hybrid lilies, Japanese show lilies, Easter lilies, Rubrum lilies, Stargazer lilies, Red lilies, Western lilies, and Wood lilies.
MACADAMIA NUTS
CHICKEN BONES
DETERGENTS
Macadamia nuts are particularly poisonous to dogs, and it’s easy to forget if they’re in cookies and snacks, you might be tempted to share.
Chicken bones can splinter and do all sorts of harm. In fact, cooked bones of any kind may be brittle and hazardous.
Some household cleaning products, when ingested by a cat, can cause profuse drooling, chemical burns, vomiting, and difficulty breathing.
RAW MEAT
ALCOHOL
ASPIRIN
Raw meat thrown to the dog is something you see in the movies, but our domesticated dogs aren’t wild anymore, and some are susceptible to salmonella and other bacteria.
Alcohol can cause the same liver and kidney damage it does to humans. It can also cause acidosis in your dog and end in cardiac arrest.
If your cat is experiencing joint pain, giving him even half a pill can be fatal. Consult your vet before giving your cat any medications.
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