Top Pet Toxins - National Poison Prevention Week

March 16-22 is National Poison Prevention Week. This week serves as a reminder to all pet owners to watch for both natural and processed pet toxins, especially as we prepare for spring cleaning and as plants start to poke their way through the snow. 

The March 2014 issue of Pet Age Magazine, along with the Pet Poison Helpline, listed the top cat and dog toxins to watch out for. These toxins are listed by their commonality, so watch especially for those highest on the lists. Keep this list handy to help keep your pet healthy year round.

Top Ten Cat Toxins

1. Lilies: All plants in the lily family, if ingested, can cause kidney failure in cats. These plants are common, so be especially careful what types of plants you have accessible in your home.
2. Household cleaners: Watch especially for concentrated products like toilet or drain cleaners, which can cause chemical burns.
3. Flea and tick prevention products for dogs: Certain pyrethroid based products can cause tremors and seizures in cats and are potentially deadly if ingested.
4. Antidepressants: According to Pet Age, cats seem strangely drawn to these medications. Keep them tightly sealed and out of reach, as they can have damaging neurological and cardiac effects on cats.
5. NSAIDs: Drugs like Ibuprofen found in Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc are even more dangerous to cats than they are to dogs. Even those meant for pets should be used with caution.
6. Prescription ADD/ADHD medication: Can cause tremors, seizures or other cardiac problems that could be fatal to cats.
7. Over the counter cough, cold & allergy medicine: Those containing acetaminophen (like Tylenol) are particularly dangerous can do damage to red blood cells and cause liver failure.
8. Insoluble Oxalate Plants: Other common household plants like the philodendron and pothos can cause oral irritation, foaming at the mouth and inflammation.
9. Household Insecticides: Most sprays and powders are fairly safe, but it’s best to keep cats away until the product is fully dried or settled.
10. Glow Sticks: Though these may seem like cute toys to cats, if punctured, the chemicals inside can cause pain and foaming at the mouth. If exposed to these, food and water are a safe remedy.

Top Ten Dog Toxins

1. Chocolate: Dark and bakers chocolate are the worst, and milk chocolate in large amounts can also be dangerous.
2. Xylitol (sugarless gum sweetener): Also found in some candies, medications and nasal sprays, this sweetener causes a fast drop in blood sugar and possible liver failure in dogs.
3. NSAIDs: Drugs like Ibuprofen found in Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc. Dogs are not good a digesting these and the continued exposure can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure.
4. Over the counter cough, cold & allergy medicine: Particularly those containing acetaminophen or decongestants.
5. Mouse and Rat Poison: Even small amounts may cause internal bleeding or swelling of the brain in dogs.
6. Grapes & Raisins: May cause kidney damage.
7. Insect bait stations: While these stations themselves are not poisonous to dogs, pets who are intrigued by the plastic casing and swallow it may experience obstruction in their bowels.
8. Prescription ADD/ADHD medication: Can cause tremors, seizures or other cardiac problems that could be fatal to dogs.
9. Glucosamine joint supplements: These can be extremely tasty for pets, and in excess can cause diarrhea or even liver failure in dogs.
10. Silica gel packets & oxygen absorbers: While the gel packets found in new shoes or purses do not pose a significant threat, oxygen absorbers found in food packages, even pet treats, can cause iron poisoning.

Pet Poison Helpline online is a resource available for pet owners to learn what other poisons are out there and how to respond if your pet is exposed to something harmful. Should your pet be exposed to any of these or other toxins that are cause for concern, contact your local vet or the Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680. 

Clearing up common Pet Myths

Like the old adage of “Man’s Best Friend,” there are many phrases, expressions and myths that pet owners hear constantly. Statements like “Cats have nine lives” and “Dogs are colorblind” are heard so often they have become somewhat cliché in the pet world. Although we say and hear them all the time, is there any truth behind these myths? Research throughout the pet industry has been done to investigate where these ideas came from, and whether any are rooted in fact after all.

Myth: Cats have nine lives.

Although your cat, like all other animals, does only have one life to live, this myth may be rooted in the fact that cats are incredibly self-sufficient and are known to make their way out of otherwise deadly situations. A PetWave.com article called “Muzzle the Myths About Dogs and Cats” tells us that many reports of cats surviving very harsh conditions without food or water may contribute to this expression, as does the fact that the number nine is considered by many cultures to be a lucky number.

Myth: A “dog year” is equal to seven human years.

Despite its popularity, the belief that you can multiple you dog’s age by 7 is not an exact formula for getting their “human” age. According to DogYears.com, the actual ratio is dependent on breed and size of the dog and decreases as the dog ages. Your one-year-old dog is actually closer to 15 in human years, and hits the 7 year mark somewhere between six and eight months of age.

Myth: Cats always land on their feet.

 

Cats are very agile and athletic, traits that contribute to the widespread belief that cats always land on their feet. Although this is often true, it is not an absolute and should definitely never be put to the test! A far fall will cause injury to a cat regardless of how they land, and even a short fall for a cat who is caught off guard or injured in any way may not allow time to twist around to feet-first.

Myth: Dogs are color blind.

Dogs, like most other mammals, have protanopia (color-blindness resulting from insensitivity to red light), which prevents them from seeing reds and greens in the color spectrum. They can, however, see shades of blue and yellow. Dogster.com demonstrates this in a recent article on how colors look to dogs, and introduces a mobile app called Chromatic Vision Stimulator that will allow you to see the world as your pet sees the world.

Myth: A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth.

A dog’s mouth contains different types of germs and bacteria than a human’s mouth, mostly due to the differences in our diets. As Pet Age reports, dog saliva was once believed to be a healing antiseptic, which may be the basis for this myth. Before you let your dog shower your face in kisses, remember that just as with humans, a dog’s saliva contains plenty of germs. After all, there’s a reason behind all that “dog breath!”

What other myths have you heard about your cat or dog?