By: Tracey Zysk – April, 2012
Spring is here and with the sun, warm weather, and fresh air comes the ultimate SPRING CLEAN. As you are beginning to tear apart those closets or starting all those lawn routines, we must not forget our pets.
Those sneaky snoopers can and probably will sniff, lick or even eat everything they come in contact with.
This could leave our curious little ones with a tummy ache, vomiting or even worse toxins in their blood. Some of these items may be household cleaners, some will be outside chemicals and others may even be foods that owners didn’t even realize were harmful to their pets.
In fact, Animal Poison Control Center reported in 2010, that they had 167,000 poison cases with the number one culprit being human medication.
A couple of years ago I walked into a client’s house and her dog was very lethargic. Not typical behavior for this high energy spitfire. When I took her outside she started to urinate blood. Immediately the owner and I got her admitted to her vet hospital.
The outcome was the dog had gotten into her owner’s calcium pills. Fortunately, this was caught in time and the dog recovered with no permanent damage to her kidneys or any other organ.
In the kitchen please keep your pets away from:
• chocolate
• grapes and
• raisins
• onions and
• garlic
• candy and
• sugar
• fatty table
• scraps
• all household
• cleaners
• trash
In the yard keep your pets away from:
• lawn seed
• fertilizer
• plants
• any chemicals
• gasoline and oils
• mouse and rat traps
Please keep all medications locked away
at all times!
If you use a landscaping company or a house cleaning service please remind them that you have pets in your home and your pet’s safety is your first concern. Ask these services what chemicals they may use that could be dangerous to your animals. If it is a one day treatment you may want to make arrangements for your pet to not be on the property or if it is a chemical you are not comfortable with you may want to ask that they use a different product line.
Do you have an Animal First Aid Kit?
You can purchase one at any local pet supply store or you can make your own. Keep the basics in it.
Mine includes
• tick tweezers
• digital thermometer
• bandage scissors
• plastic syringe for giving medication
• small flashlight
• sterilized gauze pads
• ACE bandage wraps Hydrogen peroxide
• topical antibiotic ointment
• saline eye wash
• instant cold pack
If we all take a few minutes and walk through our homes or around our properties, we may be surprised at what we see.
Stop, take a moment, and remove anything of concern. Five minutes of your time, could mean a life time for your pet. In case of an emergency call your vet or call the Animal Poison Hotline.
Save this number, it could save your pet’s life 888-232-8870