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In this lesson, we'll be covering some of the more common sources of poisoning for dogs and cats. Specifically, we'll be looking at medications, human food, and house plants that are all toxic or potentially toxic to your dogs and cats at home.
One of the most common sources of poisoning for dogs and cats are medications and this includes human medications, those prescribed for pets, and even over the counter medications.
Pro Tip #1: Since some medications can be potentially toxic to your pets, it's so important to safely store them out of reach of your curious dog or climbing cat, or in other words, any place your furry family members cannot get to.
Also worth mentioning, it's a really good idea to keep a list of the medications in your household for reference, just in case something does happen.
Warning: Never give any medication to your pet that has not been specifically prescribed for him AND for the intended purpose. Even a medication that is prescribed for your pet can be dangerous to him in certain situations, particularly pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds.
You also don't want to give one of your pets a medication that was prescribed for another. And never purchase a medication for a larger animal and divide it between two or more smaller animals.
And finally, just because some medications are available over the counter, this doesn't mean they will be safe for your pets. Please don't assume. When in doubt, consult with your veterinarian.
Besides medications, people food is another potential source of toxicity in dogs and cats. It's a good idea, as stated above for meds, to always check with your vet before feeding your pet anything other than their regular food. After all, some of the foods toxic to pets may surprise you.
Some common foods that are not safe for dogs and cats include, but are certainly not limited to:
Pro Tip #2: Again, this is NOT an exhaustive list, but rather just some of the more common foods that are toxic to pets. Before giving your pet human food, always first consult with someone in-the-know, like your veterinarian.
House plants are another potential source of toxicity to your dogs and cats. A good example of this are lilies. These flowers are toxic to pets and for some reason some dogs and cats are drawn to eating certain parts of the plant. And the problem is that consumption can cause severe kidney damage.
You may recall from the previous lesson's Word section that lilies were first on the list of house plants that are toxic to plants. If you skipped that read, we urge you to take another look, as you may inadvertently have one or more of those common, yet pet toxic plants in your home or yard.
Pet toxic house plants can cause signs and symptoms ranging from stomach upset to heart problems. The ASPCA Animal Control website has an extensive list of plants with photos to help guide you on which plants are safe for your pets and which are not. If you'd like to check out that important resource, you can do so here: aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control.
Also listed on that link above are people foods to avoid feeding your pet and poisonous household products that you should keep away from your pets. Before bringing any plant into your home or yard, please consult the list at that link above. And be sure to use it as a valuable resource for those other categories of pet toxins and poisons.