March is pet poison prevention and awareness month. By familiarising yourself with poisons around your home, and making them inaccessible to your pet, you can keep them safe. While one may think that their pet wouldn’t take a lick of glue, paint, or cleaning product because it would taste bad, sadly this isn’t always the case, and (fatal) poisoning cases do occur. Due to their natural curiosity, pups and kittens are especially at risk, but adult animals may also be unable to resist a substance when it has an inviting scent or texture. Another common way of ingestion of poisons is when they get licked off the fur or feet, for example when a pet walks through a substance. Some poisoning cases can also happen through inhalation. If you suspect your pet may have come in contact with a poisonous material, veterinary advice should always be sought. So, let’s have a closer look at common poisons and toxins found at home.
Living Area
A common, but often underestimated danger, are plants. Some plants are harmless, while others can pose a significant threat to your pet. An example of this are lilies, which are extremely dangerous to cats, and moderately dangerous to dogs. Ingestion of a small piece of the leaf, petal, or even a sip of water from the vase, can result in severe acute, and potentially irreversible, fatal kidney failure in cats. Other common poisonous plants are: Sago Palm, Oleander, Daffodils, Dieffenbachia, Philodendron, and Golden Photos. There are many more poisonous and toxic plants, so carefully research if you are planning to add one to your home.
Another common danger are items used to bring fragrance within the home, either by diffuser or through products, such as potpourri, scented candles, and essential oils. Many essential oils, scented candles, and potpourri products, contain oil of citrus, pine, cinnamon, peppermint, sweet birch, tea tree, wintergreen, and ylang ylang, which are all poisonous to pets when ingested or inhaled. And while some sources claim that certain types of essential oils may be OK for dogs with caution, most if not all of them are poisonous for cats, birds, rabbits, and other small animals.
Other items which could lead to poisoning in the living area include batteries and salt lamps.
Kitchen
Food that doesn’t pose a danger to us, isn’t always safe for our pets. Food such as chocolate, grapes & raisins, macadamia nuts, nutmeg, raw bread dough & raw pizza dough made with yeast, and yeast, are all dangerous to pets. The pits, leaves, and stems of cherry and avocado are also toxic.
The same applies to human medication, and some medications that are safe for us to use, are toxic to our pets. An example of this is paracetamol, which is a common pain relief for humans, but extremely toxic to cats. Xylitol, which is found in sugar free gum and toothpaste, is also highly toxic to pets.
Other toxic substances that are found in the kitchen are cleaning products such as bleach, oven cleaner, drain unblockers, and other chemicals. Detergents for washing and dish washing machines are also toxic.
Additionally for birds, the fumes that are released when using cookware with non-stick coating such as Teflon, are highly toxic and can lead to fatal poisoning.
Garage
Garages are often used for storage, and many dangerous materials can be found here.
It’s not uncommon for people to store items such as motor oil, pesticides, rodenticides, slug and snail bait, insecticides, solvents, batteries, and more in their garage, which can lead to poisoning if ingested by your pet.
A special note should be placed with antifreeze, also known as automotive radiator coolant, which consists of ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is highly toxic, and ingestion can turn fatal quickly. Due to its colourless and odourless nature, spills in garages and/or on driveways, regularly go unnoticed. It’s sweet tasting, so attractive for pets to consume, and they often will willingly drink from a spill. Ethylene glycol poisoning affects the GI tract, brain, liver, and kidneys, and will lead to acute kidney failure. Ethylene glycol can also be found in brake fluid, some paints and solvents, heat exchangers, home solar units, condensers, and other industrial products.
When cleaning up an ethylene glycol spill, soak it up with cat litter, rags, or paper towels, and dispose of the contaminated material in secure trash bags and bins. Hosing it down is not enough, as even diluted ethylene glycol is toxic.
My pet ate something poisonous, what now?
Your first instinct may be to make your pet vomit when they have ingested a poisonous substance, however, this should NEVER be the first step you take. Depending on the substance ingested, inducing vomiting can make the situation worse. An example of this is toilet bowl cleaner, which may cause lesions and ulcers when your pet vomits.
The first step should always be to contact your veterinarian, who will together with the use of Poison helplines, determine what the best course of action is for that specific substance. Whatever you may have heard or read, never induce vomiting by using salt, as ingestion of large amounts of salt can lead to life-threatening sodium levels in your pet. Hydrogen peroxide is also commonly advised as a home remedy to make pets vomit, but can cause severe ulcers in the stomach when taken orally.
Conclusion
By making ourselves familiar with common toxic items and materials around our home, we can take the proper precautions to keep our pets safe. When a pet has ingested a potentially toxic substance, veterinary advice should always be sought. Inducing vomiting should only be done when advised by the veterinarian, as doing so without ensuring that’s the right course of action for that poison or toxin, can make the situation worse.
Would you like to know more about our pet care services? Feel free to contact us. Our team will be glad to help.