Dangers to your pet lurk in your house. Many of us know that certain items are poisonous to dogs because they are poisonous to people as well. But there are many pet owners that are not aware of the dangers of other items commonly found in the average home.While most people are aware that rat or even insect poison are bad for dogs they don’t stop to think about smaller dogs and cats getting into the those bait traps that we set behind appliances on the floor. These can be a danger to animals. So can household cleaners.
Many pet owners are not aware of the dangers of other items like Ibuprofen (Advil or Mortirn for example) and Acetaminophen (in pain killers like Tylenol). These can often proof fatal to pets. One item that most pet owners are not aware of the dangers posed to pets is Xylitol. This is a sugar free sweetener that though perfectly safe for people it can be fatal for pets. Xylitol is found in more and more candies such as gum and mints and even in and increased amount of baked items. If your dog gets into a pack of gum and ingests much it will mostly likely cause vomiting, listlessness and can begin to cause renal failure. It’s important to know and understand such dangers and should it occur get to your vet immediately.
For any poison ingested by your pet do not induce vomiting unless told to by a trained vet. If it’s after normal office hours you can call the emergency pet poison helpline 24/7 @855-764-7661 or go online to the Pet Poison Hotline. It’s important to know if possible the substance they ingested, the amount and approximate time frame.
The Wall Street Journal ran a timely article about the rise in number of pets ingesting Xylitol. View it here.
As it’s use increases we all need to be aware and keep our beloved pets safe!