Day #1 of Helpful Tips For You And Your Pet

This week and next, we are going to be sharing some Helpful Tips for you and your pet.  Each day we will have a new helpful tip for you and your pet to keep in mind.

Day #1: Protect Your Pet From Everyday Household Dangers

Just like you’d baby proof your house, keeping common household items out of reach from your pets will help protect them from danger.  Rodent poisons and insecticides are the most common sources of domesticated animal poisoning.  The following is a list of potentially toxic poisons that should at least be kept out of reach of your pets, it not completely avoided at all:

• Fertilizer and Plant Food – These are easily accessible and fatal to a pet allowed in the yard unsupervised.
• Cedar and soft wood shavings – Keep small animals such as hamsters and gerbils away from these as they emit toxic and potentially fatal fumes.
• Antifreeze – One teaspoon can kill a seven pound cat.  With its sweet taste, animals are naturally attracted to antifreeze even when consumed in small quantities.  Antifreeze with propylene glycol is available and is safe for animals if ingested in small amounts.
• Chocolate – This is poisonous to dogs, cats and ferrets even when a small amount is consumed.
• De-icing salts – These salts used to melt snow and ice can irritate your pet’s paws and are especially poisonous if licked off.  Ensure your pet’s paws are washed and dried as soon as your pet comes in from the snow.
• Nonstick cooking fumes – Fumes from self-cleaning ovens and nonstick cooking surfaces can be deadly to birds.  Make sure birds are kept away from the kitchen and use caution when using any pump or aerosol spray around birds.
• Painkillers – Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen and many other types of pills can be toxic to animals.  Ensure you keep medication containers and tubes out of reach of pets so they can not be chewed through and ingested.  Also make sure to find and dispose of any dropped pills.
• Chicken Bones – These can easily shatter and choke a cat or dog.  We also have a list of other plants and food items to keep away from your pets listed here.
• Rawhide Chews – While these are made especially for dogs, make sure to supervise your dog while he/she chews the rawhide treat as they can pose a serious choking hazard.

Of course, if you feel your pet has been poisoned, bring him in to your Veterinarian as soon as possible or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24 hour hotline at 888-426-4435.

Stay tuned this week to learn about more helpful pet tips!