Poisoning, albeit usually minor, is a big problem with dogs. Dogs love to
lick things, bite things, chew things, and just put things in their mouths
in general. Unfortunately, they don't have the world's best judgment when it
comes to what they should and shouldn't eat. Luckily, a little bit of
common sense on our part goes a long way towards keeping dogs safe. Just
childproofing your house goes a long way towards preventing an accidental dog poisoning.
Keep cleaning products and other hazardous substances either above counter
level or in childproof cabinets and you should be fine. The childproof
cabinets sounds like overkill, but believe me, most dogs can easily get a
cabinet open if they have the time, and what dog doesn't. You also need to
make sure that there are no automotive chemicals, pesticides, or fertilizers
laying around the yard or garage where your dog can get access to them.
Anyway, onto the more common poisons your dog may face.
Antifreeze
Automotive antifreeze is about 95% ethylene glycol and is usually bright
neon green, though there are variants that are an orange/amber or purple
color. All glycol antifreezes have a similar sickly-sweet smell. Even diluted with water
it's incredibly toxic to both animals and humans, 3 or 4 tablespoons is
sometimes enough to be lethal. Puddles of antifreeze
are most common during summer and fall due to cars overheating and people changing their antifreeze
in preparation for winter, though antifreeze poisoning can happen year
round.
Dogs love both the smell and taste of antifreeze. Vigilance while on
walks and common sense around your garage and driveway are the best defense
against this sort of poisoning. While on walks you shouldn't let your dog
eat or drink they find along the way, especially puddles along the side of
the road. If you're changing your antifreeze at home dry up any spills on
the ground with paper towels or kitty litter that you then bag , immediately
followed by a thorough washing of the area with the garden hose. Don't leave
open containers or buckets of antifreeze lying around. And whatever you do,
don't let your dog run around the neighborhood loose. You'll have no idea
what they're doing or eating and you'll have no control over them.
Antifreeze poisoning has two stages. First the ethylene glycol will cause
the animal to appear "drunk" and possibly vomit about thirty minutes after
ingesting the antifreeze. After a little while the dog will appear to
"sober" up, but the worst part is coming. The second stage is where the
dog's liver starts metabolizing the ethylene glycol into glycoaldehyde,
which is then metabolized into glycolic acid, which in turn gets converted
to glyoxylic acid. Within 12 to 36 hours of the original ingestion the
toxins will have reached the point of causing renal failure, the dog slips
into a comma, and dies. It is absolutely critical that you get your dog to a
Vet as soon as you possibly can if they ingest any antifreeze. The first
nine to twelve hours are critical to your dog's chances of survival. And no,
making your dog vomit or making him eat activated charcoal isn't a cure.
Just get him to a vet.
Plants:
There's just too many plants harmful to your dog to list them all and their
symptoms so I'll just make the blanket statement that Plants can cause
anything and everything between mouth or stomach irritation all the way to
death. If you have house or outside plants that your dog will have access
too, take five minutes to research if they're toxic or not. Keep in mind
that just because a plant isn't toxic to a human doesn't mean it's safe for
dogs. Here's a quick list of some of the more common toxic plants:
Indoor Plants:
Bird Of Paradise (Strelizia Regirae)
Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus Quinquefolia)
Caladium (Caladium)
CreepingCharlie (Glecoma Hederacea)
Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia)
Emerald Duke (Philodendron Hastatum)
Glacier Ivy (Hedera Helix)
Marble Queen Scindapsus Aureus)
Majesty (Philodendron Hastatum)
Nephthytis (Synogonium)
Arrowhead Vine (Podophyllum Albolineatum)
Parlor Ivy (Philodendron Cordatum)
Pothos (Scindapsus Aureus)
Red Princess (Philodendron Hastatum)
Saddleleaf (Philodendron Selloum)
Split Leaf (Philodendron Monstera Deliciosa)
Umbrella Plant (Cyperus Alternifolius)
Outdoor Plants:
Apricot (Prunus Ameniaca)
Azalea (Rhododendron Occidentale)
Baneberry (Actaea Spicata)
Buchberry (Lantana)
Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis)
Choke Cherry (Prunus Virginica)
Daffodil (Narcissus)
Daphne (Daphne Mezereum)
Foxglove (Digitalis Purpura)
Hemlock (Conium Maculatum)
Hens-And-Chicks (Lantana)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus Orientalis)
Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla)
Jerusalem Cherry (Solanim Pseudocapscium)
Jimson Weed (Datura Stramonium)
Jonquil (Narcissus)
Lily-Of-The-Valley (Cornvallaria Majalis)
Mandrake (Podophyllum Peltatum)
Mistletoe (Phoradendron Flavenscens)
Morning Glory (Ipomoea Violaces)
Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna)
Oleander (Norium Oleander)
Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima)
Pokeweed, Inkberry (Phytolacca Americana)
Red Sage (Lantana Camara)
Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
Rhubarb (Rheum Raponticum)
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus Odoratus)
Tulip (Tulipa)
Wisteria (Wisteria)
Yew (Taxus)
Medications
Never give your dog medication unless you're under the direction of a
veterinarian, and that goes double for human medications. While there are human
medicines that your dog can safely take, there are far more they can't.
Dosages will be wildly different than they would be for a human and
something as innocuous as Ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers in your dog.
Unless your vet specifically tells you to give it to your dog and in what
dose, play it safe and assume it would be lethal.
And no, despite what a bunch of bad movies show, it's not good to give your
dog alcohol or recreational drugs. And yes, that includes weed. Will he
drink a Bud or eat a lude? Sure. But he'll also eat a remote battery or a
week-dead toad. Doesn't mean it's good for him.
Herbicides/Insecticides/Fertilizers
With the exception of fertilizer, anything in this category is designed to
be poisonous. Common sense dictates that you'd be careful with them for your
own sake if not your dog's. When applying any of these to your yard, keep
your dogs out of the area for the length of time recommended by the
manufacturer. Also, some things like fertilizers may not be safe
until a certain amount of rain has fallen. If you use snail bait, use the
dust/powder form. Getting the pellet form that look like dog food and
tossing them on the ground is asking for a poisoned dog.
When you use a room fogger or spray insecticide, read the directions
thoroughly and make sure your pet is out of the area for at least the amount
of time the manufacturer recommends. If something in the directions isn't
clear or leaves you less than 100% sure of how to use it, call the number on
the can and have the manufacturer clear it up for you.
When you place insect/rodent traps remember that many of them use foodstuffs
like peanut butter, jelly, or sugar as an attractant. Just because you can't
smell it, don't think that your dog can't or that he won't try to eat them
the first chance he gets. Place anything like this in places you know for
sure he can't get too.
And lastly, whenever you use a flea spray or shampoo read and follow the
directions carefully. On a side note, these sorts of product that are made
for dogs are not safe for use on cats. Cats are way more sensitive to the
toxins in them, a fact I attribute to the obvious superiority of dogs.
Human Food
You'd think that anything a person can eat, a dog could too. Normally you'd
be right, but there are some things to keep in mind. Avoid regularly feeding
your dog fatty foods. Excess fat can cause pancreatitis. Also, your dog is
not a garbage disposal. If you suspect food has spoiled, don't give it to
your dog. Despite their love of eating dead stuff they find on the ground,
dogs can get food poisoning as easily as people can.
In addition to common sense like not feeding your dog garbage, there some
specific human foods you should never give your dog:
-Onions: Onions cause your dog's red blood cells to develop weak spots that
eventually rupture and lead to Heinz body hemolytic anemia.
-Grapes and Raisins: Large amounts of grapes or raisins can cause kidney
failure. This one's fairly new and I haven't seen a lot of information about
it yet. Still, better safe than sorry. If your dog is like mine he won't be
able to get the grape swallowed, he'll just sit there trying to chew it
forever while it slides around his teeth.
-Chocolate: Chocolate is bad. Chocolate contains a substance called
theobromine, which acts like caffeine and is toxic to dogs. Basically, the
darker and more bitter a chocolate is, the more theobromine is in it. Hence,
baking chocolate has the most, semi-sweet chocolate has less, and milk
chocolate has the least.
-Bones: Dogs love bones, but bones don't love dogs. All bones, but
especially chicken bones can splinter and become lodged in your dog's mouth
or GI track. Especially pleasant is the bloody diarrhea if the fragments end
up cutting your dog's colon on the way out. Stick with the corn starch
bones.
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