Protect Your Pet From Household Poisons

Here are some helpful tips from Animal Forum for keeping your pets safe from household products, household substances and plants that are dangerous to your dog, cat or other pet. It is important to keep these materials away from your pets.

Common Household Hazards

Fabric softener sheets
Mothballs
Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)


Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets

Alcoholic beverages
Avocado
Chocolate (all forms)
Coffee (all forms)

Fatty foods
Macadamia nuts
Moldy or spoiled foods
Onions, onion powder
Raisins and grapes
Salt
Yeast dough
Garlic
Products sweetened with xylitol

Warm Weather Hazards

Animal toxins—toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions
Blue-green algae in ponds
Citronella candles
Cocoa mulch
Compost piles Fertilizers
Flea products
Outdoor plants and plant bulbs
Swimming-pool treatment supplies
Fly baits containing methomyl
Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde

Medication

Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include:

Pain killers
Cold medicines
Anti-cancer drugs
Antidepressants
Vitamins
Diet Pills

Cold Weather Hazards

Antifreeze
Liquid potpourri
Ice melting products
Rat and mouse bait

Holiday Hazards

Christmas tree water (may contain fertilizers and bacteria, which, if ingested, can upset the stomach.
Electrical cords
Ribbons or tinsel (can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction—most often occurs with kittens!)
Batteries
Glass ornaments



Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats

The following substances are considered to be non-toxic, although they may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals:

Water-based paints
Toilet bowl water
Silica gel
Poinsettia
Cat litter
Glue traps
Glow jewelry

Ten Most Common Poisonous Plants
Marijuana
Ingestion of Cannabis sativa by companion animals can result in depression of the central nervous system and incoordination, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, increased heart rate, and even seizures and coma.

Sago Palm
All parts of Cycas Revoluta are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxin. The ingestion of just one or two seeds can result in very serious effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures and liver failure.

Lilies
Members of the Lilium spp. are considered to be highly toxic to cats. While the poisonous component has not yet been identified, it is clear that with even ingestions of very small amounts of the plant, severe kidney damage could result.

Tulip/Narcissus bulbs
The bulb portions of Tulipa/Narcissus spp. contain toxins that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and cardiac abnormalities.

Azalea/Rhododendron
Members of the Rhododenron spp. contain substances known as grayantoxins, which can produce vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness and depression of the central nervous system in animals. Severe azalea poisoning could ultimately lead to coma and death from cardiovascular collapse.

Oleander
All parts of Nerium oleander are considered to be toxic, as they contain cardiac glycosides that have the potential to cause serious effects—including gastrointestinal tract irritation, abnormal heart function, hypothermia and even death.

Castor Bean
The poisonous principle in Ricinus communis is ricin, a highly toxic protein that can produce severe abdominal pain, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, weakness and loss of appetite. Severe cases of poisoning can result in dehydration, muscle twitching, tremors, seizures, coma and death.

Cyclamen
Cylamen species contain cyclamine, but the highest concentration of this toxic component is typically located in the root portion of the plant. If consumed, Cylamen can produce significant gastrointestinal irritation, including intense vomiting. Fatalities have also been reported in some cases.

Kalanchoe
This plant contains components that can produce gastrointestinal irritation, as well as those that are toxic to the heart, and can seriously affect cardiac rhythm and rate.

Yew
Taxus spp. contains a toxic component known as taxine, which causes central nervous system effects such as trembling, incoordination, and difficulty breathing. It can also cause significant gastrointestinal irritation and cardiac failure, which can result in death.