Poison Prevention Week is 18-24 March, a good time to remind your humans to check for stuff around the house that might hurt you. We mined the Pet Poison Helpline website (@PetPoisonHelp on Twitter) to find out the basics. You can go to the site and learn more specifics.
The Pet Poison Helpline fields emergency calls from both pet guardians and veterinarians in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. While the service charges a small fee ($39 U.S.), they have veterinary poison specialists on hand all the time. They collect a lot of information about the calls they receive that can help us figure out what to look out for in our homes. They have “Top Ten” lists of poisons they deal with in calls about both cats and dogs.
The Top Ten Dog Poisons
- Chocolate
- Insect bait stations
- Mouse and rat poison
- Fertilizers (even compost)
- Xylitol-containing products (i.e., sugar-free gums and candies)
- Ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin® in brand name or generic form)
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol® in brand name or generic form)
- Silica gel packs
- Amphetamines (such as ADD/ADHD drugs)
- Household cleaners
The Top Ten Cat Poisons
- Lilies
- Topical flea and tick medicine designed for dogs only
- Household cleaners
- Mouse and rat poison
- Paints and varnishes
- Veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (Rimadyl®, Deramaxx®)
- Glow sticks/glow jewelry
- Amphetamines (such as ADD/ADHD drugs)
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol® in brand name or generic form)
- Ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin® in brand name or generic form)
Store Medicines and Household Cleaners Safely
Humans need to keep their medicines safely stored in cabinets where we can’t get to them.
They also need to take particular care with household cleaning products. Although warnings to avoid using Swiffer products around dogs circulate online, the Pet Poison Helpline says there’s no evidence that Swiffer Wet Jets are harmful to dogs. In fact, most cleaners can be used safely in small amounts. The Pet Poison Helpline says to be most careful with rust removers, toilet bowl cleaners, drain cleaners and mineral deposit removers. These can cause chemical burns in both pets and humans and must be used very carefully.
Cats can be more sensitive to the harmful chemicals in household cleaners that turn the water cloudy (they contain phenols), like Lysol and Pine Sol, because we lick our feet to wash them, veterinarian An LeBarre told the Auburn Journal. My human started out to wash the kitchen floor with Mop ‘N Glo this morning — she has an enormous bottle she got at Costco — when she read this article. Now, she’s thinking about which of her petless friends might clean floors enough to use that bottle up.
Poisonous Plants
Plants can be dangerous for both cats and dogs. Some of the really dangerous plants are popular in Easter bouquets, like lilies, tulips, hyacinths and daffodils.
Ever since my human’s beloved kitty with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy went limp and listless after she chewed kalanchoe, which causes heart arrhythmia, we refer regularly to the toxic and non-toxic lists before any plant comes in the house. Out of all the thousands of plants, a few hundred of them appear on the toxic list. The ASPCA has lists for cats, dogs and horses.
Suggest that your human check out plants and flowers before bringing them in the house or planting them in the yard.
Poisons That Affect Small Mammals and Birds
Small size and fast metabolism in pets like hamsters and guinea pigs, and in the case of birds, the specifics of their respiratory system, make these companions more sensitive to household poisons.
- Tobacco and tobacco smoke
- Mouse and rat poison
- Moldy food
- Fruit seeds and pits
- Aerosol cleaners, Teflon (non-stick pans) and scented candles can be particularly dangerous for birds.
Planned Parrothood has lists of safe plants and toxic plants and substances for pet birds.
Doctors Foster and Smith have a list of plants that are toxic to most small animals.
Food as Poison
In addition to the things our humans recognize as poisons, some foods can act like poisons when we companion animals eat them. Tops on the list of foods that make dogs and cats sick are:
- Chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Xylitol (sugar-free gum and candy)
- Fatty table scraps
- Onions and garlic
- Macadamia nuts
- Unbaked yeast dough
If you’ve heard that tomatoes are poisonous to dogs, you heard right, but they aren’t very poisonous, and dogs will usually recover with supportive treatment.
Good Foods
Everybody wants to try the humans’ food, and some of the foods are even good for us! Some foods that are not poisonous are ok to feed both dogs and cats.
- Apples
- Peas
- Green beans
- Plain popcorn
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Summer and winter squash
- Ice chips (really nice when they are frozen chicken or beef broth)
- Lettuce
- Blueberries
I’ve heard a lot of dogs like peanut butter, but the Pet Poison Helpline says it can be too fatty, like meat, and cause problems in a dog’s pancreas. Bananas are ok in moderation.
We’ve only just scratched the surface of the possible poison hazards that might affect companion animals. The Pet Poison Helpline has a lot more information on their website.
Check back later this week to learn what to look for and what to do if you suspect a pet has been poisoned.
Photo by Amehare published here under a Creative Commons license, originally published on Flickr.
{ 4 comments }
Amazing list! Thank you
Great post!
Because there’s so much misinformation out there about the Teflon® brand, I’m not surprised that you are concerned. I’m a representative of DuPont though, and hope you’ll let me share some information with you and your readers, so that everyone can make truly informed decisions.
Because birds have extremely sensitive respiratory systems, bird owners must take precautions to protect them. Cooking fumes, smoke and odors that have little or no effect on people can seriously sicken and even kill birds, often quite quickly. Cooking fumes from any type of unattended or overheated cookware, not just non-stick, can damage a bird’s lungs with alarming speed. This is why bird owners should take steps to protect their pets, such as keeping their birds out of the kitchen, never leaving cookware unattended, never allowing pots and pans to overheat, and making sure that their kitchen is properly ventilated at all times.
It should be noted that butter, fats, and cooking oils will begin to smoke at approximately 400°F (204°C), producing fumes that can irritate eyes, nose, and throat and possibly cause respiratory distress. DuPont non-stick coatings will not begin to deteriorate in appearance or performance until the temperature of the cookware reaches about 500°F
Regulatory agencies, consumer groups and health associations all have taken a close look at the Teflon® brand. This article highlights what they found — the bottom line is that you can use Teflon® non-stick without worry.
http://www.fluoropolymer-facts.com/PFOA/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4137&navItemNumber=4040xxx
Excellent article, Cheshire! I had no idea that blueberries are okay for cats. My cat Mini will be thrilled. She will eat anything that doesn’t eat her first. That’s a little nerve wracking, but I can run down the checklists and make sure we’re not missing anything that we need to store more safely or stop using. Thanks!
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