What Pet Poisons Are Hiding in Your House?

We all know most of the cleaning products stashed under the kitchen sink are potentially poisonous, but did you know your sugar-free gum could kill your dog? Xylitol, the common sugar substitute in gum and candies causes a nasty reaction in animals which can be life threatening.

Did you know one Tylenol can kill an adult cat? Cats have difficulty metabolizing certain drugs which makes them particularly susceptible to toxic reactions to many drugs. They may be mammals, but a cat’s liver works much differently from yours.

Although dogs can handle some human medications, others drugs we commonly use can wreak havoc with them. Advil, Aleve and aspirin are just a few. Although a low dose of aspirin once may not be a problem, a single dose of Aleve can cause serious damage. The safest course is to not share your medications without advice on safety and dosing from your veterinarian. Many of these “human” medications are not safe in any amount. And call your vet immediately if you should drop a pill of your own and your pet grabs it. The sooner we realize they may have ingested a toxic dose, the better we can manage the situation and hopefully prevent a catastrophe.

Antifreeze is terribly toxic and just a small amount can kill a pet. Since it tastes very sweet and appeals to pets, a small leak can turn into a disaster for your dog or cat. Thankfully, we don’t need it here to prevent our radiators from freezing, but we still use it as a coolant. When you change your antifreeze, be careful to dispose of the old fluid properly. There are many toxic chemicals in most garages, so it’s probably best to keep your pets out of there. I’m thinking about insecticides, rat poison, petroleum products, paint thinner and the like. Yes, I have seen a dog for toxicity from ingesting lighter fluid. Why a dog would drink that is beyond me, but it happens.

For those of you who fish, lead & zinc sinkers are poisonous if swallowed. Pet birds and dogs are the most likely to ingest those items and the result isn’t pretty. Gorilla Glue expands and can turn into a solid mass in a dog’s stomach and it requires surgery to get these out.

Did you know your houseplants can be poisonous? The worst combination is cats and all the Lily family plants. This includes Easter lily, day lily, tiger lily and rubrum lily. They are bad news for cat and kitties and they love to graze on houseplants. Some other offenders include the Diffenbachia family which includes the Dumb Cane, many philodendrons and potted azaleas. Outdoors the oleanders and sago palms are quite dangerous.  Actually, the number of plants that are potentially poisonous is huge, so check out the ASPCA's list of poisonous plants and the Pet Poison Helpline's list of top 10 poisonous plants for pets if you want to read more about plant poisons.

Ever drop your pocket change? Did you know most pennies are actually predominantly zinc, which is very toxic when ingested? And for some dogs, coins are quite an appealing snack! Lots of hardware parts contain zinc too. Old linoleum contains lead, but that’s thankfully becoming scarcer along with lead paint. When Fido eats the remote, make sure he didn’t swallow the batteries as they are very toxic. That goes for hearing aids too. Potpourri oils are very caustic, as is tea tree oil. And mothballs are poisonous in addition in smelling nasty.

When it comes to dropping things, let’s go back to that dangerous kitchen. Did you know onions, leeks & garlic are poisonous to dogs in sufficient quantities? And grapes & raisins can damage their kidneys. Also avoid letting your pets eat avocado, macadamia nuts or chocolate. Alcohol, the recreational sort, can be rough on pets. I once saw a 5 lb. Pomeranian after he drank his owner’s White Russian cocktail…. also not a pretty sight.

So, what do you do if you realize your pet has ingested something potentially toxic?

• First, grab the container if you have it & try to determine how much was ingested.
• Call your veterinarian immediately. 
• Tell your veterinarian what was ingested, including detailed information from the package, an estimate of how much and when it was ingested and your pet’s current condition. They will advise you whether it is appropriate to induce vomiting at home before heading to the hospital.

Some toxins have specific antidotes and others do not. Depending on the toxin, it is often (but not always) appropriate to induce vomiting to empty the stomach and then activated charcoal may be administered to help bind to the toxins to help prevent absorption. Supportive care may be required depending on the situation and this could include IV fluids, specific medications, blood transfusions or a specific antidote if one is available for the toxin ingested.

If the toxin is not common, it may require a call to a veterinary poison control center to get information about toxic doses, treatment protocols and prognosis. 

As a pet owner, you may call a poison control center directly yourself to get information and they will also communicate with your veterinarian if medical care is required. There is a fee for this service but the data they can provide is invaluable.

Do not call your local human hospital’s poison control hotline. Any information they could provide is potentially flawed as this is one area where animals are very different from humans.

Also, time is of the essence with a pet poisoning, so don’t waste precious minutes trying to research the problem yourself online… seek professional help immediately.

Resources:

• ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center 1-888-426-4435
• Pet Poison Helpline 1-800-213-6680