Warm weather is here!
Warm weather is here! Keep your pets safe! Now that weather is better pets are outside more and may have access to household items which can make them very ill.
The Prairieland Animal Welfare Center and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would like to remind pet owners that the nice weather can bring hazards to their pets. Insecticides used to kill fleas, ticks, and other insects and mouse and rat poisons lead the list of household items which can potentially poison pets. Household cleaners such as bleaches, detergents, and disinfectants are also common items which can poison pets. Home improvement products such as paint, solvents, and glues, and fertilizers and other gardening supplies rank next. Man's favorite treat, chocolate, is another potential toxic item pets may ingest and become ill from. Human and pet medications can be lethal. Some plants, notably rhododendron, azalea, sago palm, kalanchoe, and schefflera, can make pets very ill if eaten. All of these household items, if ingested in large enough quantities, can be lethal to pets.
Symptoms exhibited by pets who have ingested items they should not eat include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, seizures, and going into a coma.
So what should you do if you fear your pet has eaten something they should not have gotten into? Call your veterinarian immediately. Your vet is always your first contact in case of a health situation for a pet. The ASPCA also runs a 24 hour a day Animal Position Control Center at 1-888-426-4435. There is a fee involved with using the ASPCA's services because they are not funded by any state or local grants.
The best thing to do to keep your pet safe and sound is to pet-proof homes, basements, garages, and storage areas. Pets need to have items which may be hazardous put up and out of reach the same way you would do that for a child. However, child-proof may not mean pet-proof. Puppies in particular are known to chew anything and everything they can get their paws on. And cats like to climb high. So just because a home has placed dangerous items out of a pet's way does not mean the pet will not have access to them.
Be safe, be sure, keep dangerous items where pets and children cannot access them, and keep your veterinarian's office and emergency phone numbers at hand in case of an emergency, as well as the ASPCA's Poison Control Center number.
