Welcome back to Talking Tails!
We have an important topic to discuss this week – poison prevention. Traditionally, the third week of March is observed as National Animal Poison Prevention Week. The purpose of this week is to raise awareness and to educate pet owners on the hazards of poisons found right in the home. We were surprised at all the things around the house that can make us sick and are sure glad that our parents keep those out of our reach. Buster, Mr. Safety, would never partake in anything remotely different from dog food. Joey, well he is another story!
Human medication is a common item for dogs to ingest, simply because it is often so easily available. Medicine bottles are frequently left on the counter, in easy reach of dogs. A few chews and we have broken open the bottle. Put your medicine somewhere that we can’t reach it, like a closed medicine cabinet.
We all love to beg at the dinner table, but it could be potentially dangerous. Human food is not all created equal! Dark chocolate is the most dangerous and can lead to death. The sweetener, Xylitol, can be poisonous even if ingested in small amounts. Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure. Other human foods toxic to dogs include macadamia nuts, garlic, onion, yeast-based dough, table salt, raw or undercooked meat, and avocado.
Be careful if you are doing yard work with your human, since fertilizers, insecticides and rodenticides are not good for us. Don’t lick up anything, regardless of form – spray, granules, powder! Our grandparents’ dog got into some of this stuff and had her stomach pumped. Oh dear, we do not want to go down that path!
Poison-proof your home and educate yourself on what can be toxic to your dog. When it comes to poisons, we need to be treated as toddlers and put everything that is dangerous out-of- reach.
Talk to you soon!
Buster and Joey
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