Pet parents go to tremendous efforts to keep their fur-babies healthy, such as purchasing high-quality pet food and scheduling regular veterinarian appointments. However, when taking these precautions, many pet parents fail to protect dangerous things in the home.
Unfortunately, common household things such as drain cleaners and dietary supplements, as well as potted plants and paint thinner, can be fatal to our pets.
We’ve put together a list of common household pollutants to assist you safeguard your pets. We’ll also provide you practical steps you can take on How to Keep Pets Safe from Poisoning prevent your dog’s exposure to pet poison and teach you what to do if your pet ingests something toxic. Without further ado, here’s how to protect your pets against poisoning.
Examine human food before offering it to your pets
Many pet parents would certainly not hesitate to offer their dog something seasoned with herbs and spices. However, these seemingly benign plants can cause serious problems for your dogs. Common ingredients like onions and garlic make our meals taste great, but they can be harmful to our pets.
Fortunately, it’s pretty simple to keep pets from consuming hazardous human foods. The obvious thing to do is to provide a high-quality commercial fresh, raw, wet, or dry pet food that has been regulated to be free of pollutants.
Foods to avoid feeding your dog or cat
- Xylitol (often found in sugar-free meals, vitamins, and toothpaste)
- Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
- Large quantities of salt
- Raw bread dough.
- Yeast products
- Green onion
- Shallots
- Alcohol
- Grapes
- Raisins Onions
- Garlic Leeks
Also Read: Low-Maintenance Dogs for Busy Owners: Top 10 Breeds and Tips
Tips for Finding Safe Ingredients for Pets
Another approach is to research human foods to confirm their safety before feeding them to your pet. You’ll find numerous books and online resources on pet feeding. Here are some suggestions for determining what is safe for your dog to eat:
1. Speak to your veterinarian.
The internet offers inaccurate, outdated, and outright incorrect information, so consult your veterinarian before introducing any new foods to Fido.
2. Use cautious when using search engines.
Unfortunately, Google is not always correct. When searching for information, there is always the possibility of a potentially harmful substance sliding between the gaps. Always double-check any answers you discover online.
3. Look for a veterinary seal of approval
Any articles you read about pet nutrition should be reviewed by a veterinary practitioner. Dr. Linda Simon MVB MRCVS, a UK-based veterinary surgeon,
4. Ensure that your resources are reliable.
We recommend staying away from blogs and websites that do not employ a veterinary professional. Merck Veterinary Manual and the Pet Foodology blog, run by Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, are two of our favorite resources on pet nutrition.
Secure your trash can and toilet
Pets are experts when it comes to getting what they want, and they aren’t afraid to dig in the trash or drink from the toilet. Unfortunately, pets can come into contact with a wide range of chemicals in the trash, including cleaning product bottles and hazardous human delicacies laced with chocolate and xylitol.
For this reason, we recommend purchasing a lockable trash can and a child safety lock for your toilet lid. Toilet locks cost approximately $10 each, which is a little thing to spend for peace of mind, especially because dogs can accidently consume cleaning substances when drinking from the potty.
Lock up your prescriptions
Our second recommendation is to keep all of your medications locked up. This applies to over-the-counter medicines, supplements, vitamins, candies and chewables, pet medications, and medical marijuana. The medications listed below should concern you the most.
OTC medications
Over-the-counter medications are among the most convenient for pets. However, just because they are available without a prescription does not imply they are safe for your dogs.
NSAID pain medications (such as ibuprofen, Tylenol, aspirin, and naproxen sodium) can lead to organ failure in dogs and cats. Similarly, nasal decongestants such as Sudafed can cause major problems for our pets. Ointments and lotions are also unsafe for our pets, particularly steroidal, analgesic, and antibacterial creams.
Vitamins and Supplements
Vitamins and supplements, particularly vitamin D, can be extremely deadly to dogs if kept within their grasp. For dogs and cats, accidentally taking too much vitamin D can result in intestinal bleeding, difficulty breathing, heart difficulties, and death.
Eating a much of iron supplements can also be bad for our pets. Even just 20 milligrams of iron per kilogram of body weight can trigger overdose symptoms in pets. Even 60 milligrams per pound can be lethal, so don’t leave human or pet vitamins where your pet can access them.
Finally, any xylitol-containing supplement can be fatal to cats and dogs. Manufacturers frequently include xylitol in sugar-free sweets, chewables, and dissolvable dietary supplements, so keep them locked away.
Dog flea and tick medications
Dog flea and tick medications are extremely toxic to cats, particularly ones containing pyrethrin. Cats may be exposed by rubbing on or grooming affected dogs, or by having it applied directly to their body.
Unfortunately, 10% to 40% of cats who develop pyrethrin poisoning die, therefore you must avoid these drugs completely. That is not to say you should not treat your pets for fleas and ticks; simply utilize safer options, such as species-specific oral drugs like Trifexis.
Cannabis
You may be surprised to find this on the list, given that cannabis has a reputation for being a pretty safe treatment. After all, CBD dog treats are created from cannabis, correct? Yes, this is correct, but THC in cannabis is hazardous to pets. (CBD dog treats are THC-free.)
Edibles are particularly dangerous since they not only seem, taste, and smell like appealing human foods, but they also frequently contain pet poisons such as chocolate and xylitol.
Flavored medicine intended for humans
Flavored pharmaceuticals, particularly vitamin gummies, children’s prescriptions, and chewable pet medications, are among the most harmful since they appeal to pets! Furthermore, pets are more likely to overeat flavored medications than non-flavored medications, which increases the risk of overdose.
Prescription medications
As you can think, it’s never a good thing when a dog gets into a prescription medicine container. If you suspect your dog has swallowed prescription medication, contact your veterinarian immediately.
The most harmful prescription drugs for pets are those for the following conditions:
- Psychological conditions
- Hormone imbalances
- High Blood Pressure
- Heart issues.
- Chronic pain.
- ADHD
Pet medications
Finally, keep your pet’s medications out of reach, especially flavored medications like chewable Rimadyl. Pets, like humans, can overdose on pet medication, although they are more likely to consume huge amounts of pet medication (which are frequently flavored with meat).
Do not underestimate the risks of plants
Gardening may appear to be a harmless activity, but did you know that toxic plants are the leading cause of pet poisoning each year?
Take the palm lily, for example. This plant includes steroidal saponins and glycosides, which could cause serious problems for your pets. These chemicals irritate the digestive tract, resulting in vomiting and drooling.
Here are some suggestions for protecting your dogs from the hazards of hazardous plants.
Change your dog’s walking path.
Change your pet’s walking route to keep them away from potentially harmful plants. Typically, urban routes are safer than woodland paths.
Keep your dog on a harness during walks
Keep your dog on a leash while they are approaching regions with a lot of plants, especially if you are unsure whether they are harmful.
Know your plants.
If you keep plants, you must thoroughly investigate your collection. There are many plants that are healthy for pets, but there are also several that are dangerous to them. Look up the species online and cross-check with other sources to confirm they are not harmful. If you don’t know what a plant is, you can download an app to identify it. You can also find information about your local veterinarian or houseplant organizations online.
Rehome harmful plants
If you discover that one of your plants is hazardous to pets, get rid of them. If that isn’t an option, you’ll need to find a strategy to keep the plant out of reach of your pet, such as utilizing baby gates or relocating the plant to an off-limits area of your home.
Be cautious with outside cats.
It is far easier to prevent poisoning in dogs than in cats, particularly free-roaming outdoor felines. If you let your cats outside, consider taking extra precautions to keep them safe on their trips around the neighborhood.
Here are some measures to keep your outdoor cats safe from poisoning:
Invest on a GPS collar. These stylish collars allow you to track your cat’s location in real time using a smartphone app.
Limit your cat’s time spent outdoors. This will be much easier said than done, especially if your cat is accustomed to coming and departing as they choose. Consider closing windows, cat doors, and other exit spots at night or when you will not be home.
Understand the indications of poisoning in cats. When your cat returns from an outing, keep a tight eye out for any indications of illness. Cats tend to hide when they are sick or in discomfort, so look for subtle cues such as drooling or hiding.
White Lilles in a field are highly poisonous to cats and dogs.
Toxic Plants to Avoid with Pets
- Chrysanthemum
- Autumn crocus
- Rhododendron
- Castor bean
- Sago Palms
- English Ivy
- Kalanchoe – Peace. Lily Schefflera
- Cyclamen
- House pine
- Cannabis Oleander
- Plants include amaryllis, azaleas, pothos, and tulips.
- Lilies and yew.
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