Common Household Poisons
Dogs rely very little on taste to accept or reject food. The dog is one of the easiest animals to poison. A toxic substance with no odour may be gulped down regardless of how it tastes. Hundreds of dogs die annually from eating cosmetics thrown in the garbage.
Varied types of poisons can kill dogs. Sometimes poisoning results from consuming a toxic substance. Unless the dog has been seen comsuming the substance, it may be difficult to diagnose the situation. Prevention is the best means of protecting your dog. The following info is by no means complete, but it lists some of the more common poisons. It is presented as an alert to keep toxic substances away from dogs and help you assess a situation in wich you think your dog may have been poisoned.
A dog may be the victim of accidental poisoning if products found around the home are not stored in tightly closed containers, empty containers are not disposed of properly and any spills are not cleaned up promptly. Here are some examples of potentially toxic products found in the home.
Cleaning and household supplies: ammonia, bleach, disinfectants, drain cleaner, ex:(drinking from the toilet bowl may expose your dog to any of these), cleaning fluids, soaps and detergents, mothballs and matches.
Garage items: gasoline, kerosene, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid, motor/ trans. oil also anti-freeze (these can also leak from your vehicle).
Agricultural products: insecticides, rodenticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, snail or slug bait, worm and mollusk toxicants and plant growth hormones.
Workshop supplies : paints, paint thinners and removers, wood preservatives and mineral spirits.
Medicines : Aspirin, acetaminophen, boric acid, diet pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizers, laxatives and rubbing alcohol.
Cosmetics : Deodorants, hair coloring, nail polish and remover, permanent wave lotion and sun tan lotion, perfumed soaps and bath beads.
Chocolate : Contains chemical called Theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. Ingesting chocolate can be fatal to a dog. Other food items that are hazardous are onions and apple seeds.
Other hazards include: ingesting scrapings from lead-based paints, eating contaminated food or drinking chemically treated water from toilets.
Symptoms of poison by ingestion include : Pain, nausea, vomiting, and/or collapse. If you suspect that your dog has been poisoned contact your veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately.
Poisonous Plants
The list of plants potentially dangerous to dogs and cats is long. Some of the more common plants that can be poisonous to dogs and cats include: Dieffenbachia, philodendron, caladium will cause throat irritations that will burn the throat going down as well as coming up.
English ivy, iris, amaryllis, daffodil, and tulip (especially the bulbs) cause Gastric irritation and sometimes central nervous system excitement followed by coma, and, in severe, even death.
Ingesting foxglove, lily of the valley, oleander and larkspur can be life threatening because of cardiovascular system is affected.. Equally life threatening is the yew which affects the nervous system. If any of these plants are ingested, get the dog to a veterinarian immediately.
The Moncton SPCA now has the task of providing a service under the Animal Protection Act which is not duplicated by any other agency in the Greater Moncton area. The Society provides care for sick, injured, homeless and unwanted animals.
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