ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center . . .
- If you think your animal has ingested a toxic substance, immediately contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA ANIMAL POISON CONTROL CENTER at 888-426-4435. (A $60 consultation fee by the ASPCA may be applied to your credit card.)
Toxic Plants . . .
Human Foods to Avoid . . .
Chicken Jerky Strips (for Dogs) Made in China . . .
The FDA is advising those who choose to feed this product to watch for the following signs: "Decreased appetite, although some may continue to consume the treats to the exclusion of other foods; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; and increased water consumption and/or increased urination." The FDA also states, quote, "Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died."
Xylitol Sweetener . . .
- This one often seems to get left off of the list of foods that can be dangerous or toxic, but it definitely is very toxic to pets. Remember that many sugar-free products, including gum, contain Xylitol sweetener. Go to Snopes.com and read about Xylitol sweetener.
Pet Toy Hazards . . .
- HSUS's link about dog toys is here.
- AAHA's dangerous toy article can be found here.
- Pimple Ball Recall links are here and here.
- HubPages' link regarding Dangerous Toys/Examples of Safe Toys is here.
Choke Chain Dog Collars . . .
have resulted in many dogs choking to death. We personally feel there are more humane options and safer options as training tools, but the far worse consequence is the number of dogs we have personally learned about over the years choking to death after their choke chain collar (aka slip collar) had caught on a fence or other obstacle or even on another dog while playing. I personally knew a dog whose owner came home and found him hanging dead on the fence due to the choke chain. Note: Prong collars are also not recommended.
- Three situations sharing the sad results of wearing a choke chain collar can be read about here, here and here.
- Here's a quote from Minneapolis Animal Care & Control on this topic: "Unfortunately, we often see dogs that have died from jumping over an obstacle or catching the choke chain or pinch collar. These animals struggle until they suffocate and die."
Anti-Freeze and Rodentecides . . .
Though there are many other poisons that can be toxic to your pets, Anti-Freeze and Rodenticides (mouse/rat killer) are two poisons I've seen and heard of sending pets to the vet in serious condition on a rather frequent basis.
- Rodenticides are expressly made to be tasty to animals, so extreme caution should be used to keep it out of reach of your pets.
- Likewise, anti-freeze is sweet-tasting, and your pet doesn't need to ingest much of it in order to be in big trouble, whether it's spillage from an open container or whether it's spillage from an overheated radiator.
- VCA Animal Hospitals' link about anti-freeze poisoning
- Pet Education link about rodenticide poisoning
- Suite 101 link about rodenticide poisoning
Canine Water Safety . . .
Information you should be aware of:
- Doggy life preservers are available in all sizes.
- You should not let your dog swim in a pool unattended, but do practice with your dog getting out of the pool several times so that he/she knows exactly where the steps are and exactly how to get out should he/she slip and fall in. Most swimming pool drownings of dogs are as a result of the dog not knowing how to get out.
- In natural bodies of water, also be sure your dog has a way out and remember that the force of the current is often deceiving and that waters that appear to be calm can actually be deadly.
Water Safety Links:
Cocoa Mulch for your Garden . . .
contains an ingredient called theobromine that can cause heart and neurological problems in dogs and can even be lethal.
Over-the Counter Medications . . .
Many over-the-counter human medications can have dire consequences for pets. Do not give any human medication
to your pets without first consulting your veterinarian for their recommendation on what is safe. Even standard over-the-counter pain medications for humans can result in highly emergent situations if given to pets.
Some Topical Flea and Tick Control Products . . .
All topical flea and tick control treatments are definitely not made the same. In fact, their main ingredients often vary greatly. The information contained in the links in this section should help you decide whether or not you feel comfortable using certain topical flea and/or tick control products.
- HSUS as well as The Center for Public Integrity provide two informative links on this topic.
- Truth-or-Fiction and Snopes.com are two web sites with information regarding safety claims about Promeris (main ingredients are metaflumizone and amitraz).
- Note that in the Truth-or-Fiction link above, it states with regard to the manufacturer of Promeris, quote, "According to Fort Dodge the clinical signs reported are similar to what they have seen in their safety studies when there was deliberate oral exposure to ProMeris." I don't know how to read that sentence any other way than that Fort Dodge intentionally orally administered known pesticides to test animals.
- Also see Attachment 1 at bottom of this page containing comments from two veterinarians regarding Promeris.
- BioSpotVictims is a link which contain safety concerns and/or claims about Farnam's BioSpot (main ingredient is permethrin, which is a snythetic pyrethrin compound).
- BoycottHartz and HartzVictims are two links which contain safety concerns and/or claims about Hartz products (main ingredient is phenothrin, which is a synthetic pyrethrin compound).
- Some reported adverse reactions I've read about with regard to these controversial flea/tick control products are hair loss, salivation, vomiting, weasing, convulsions, tremors, and death. If your dog or cat is exhibiting any of these symptoms after application of a topical flea/tick product, seek veterinary medical care ASAP.
Household Products that can be dangerous to pets are contained in this AVMA Listing