Avoiding Household Pet Toxins
Household pet toxins lurk around every corner, and unfortunately, pet poisoning is serious and can be challenging to treat. It is much better to avoid the problem in the first place. There are several simple steps you can take to help prevent exposure to items that are commonly toxic to pets.
Top Tips to Avoid Contact with Household Pet Toxins
- Keep all medicines in containers and stored in cabinets
- Pick up any dropped pills and clean up any spills promptly, inside the house and out
- Don’t give any human medicines to your pet without calling a vet first
- Always read labels of products you are using on your pet and follow the directions
- Never use a product that says “For dogs only” on your cat
- Save the package of anything you put on or give your pet
- Store all cleaning products and chemicals in cabinets away from inquisitive pets
- Check a list of poisonous plants before you bring any into the house
- Use mouse/rat poison or snail/slug bait in areas where your pet can’t reach them
- Save the containers for any poisons you use
- Keep your pets off lawns that have been treated and away from ice melts
- Wash your pet’s paws after being outdoors
- Keep your pet away from the candy bowl when it’s full of chocolate or xylitol sweetened candy!
- Be careful with food left out on counters or kids dropping food (or feeding your pet!)
-
Keep these foods away from your pets:
- Anything with xylitol, a sweetener (read labels)
- Onions and garlic
- Grapes and raisins
- Macadamia nuts
- Avocado
- Yeast dough
- Coffee, caffeine
- Alcohol
What to Do if Your Pet Gets Into Something Toxic
The number one thing to do when there's a concern of exposure to household pet toxins is ensuring that you have the container of the product in question. Having the container of poison or insecticide you used is extremely helpful if your pet gets sick.
The first question the veterinarian will ask is “What was it?” Then next question will be “How much did your pet eat?” Knowing the answers to these questions can make a difference in how successful your pet’s treatment is.
Similarly, have the phone number for whiskerDocs handy. Our team can serve as a pet poison hotline, helpinng you determine whether the amount ingested is highly toxic to pets and what steps you may need to take to make sure your pet stays healthy.
All articles are reviewed and maintained by whiskerDocs team of veterinary experts.