Poison-Proof Your Home for Your Pets!

*** If you think your pet has ingested something toxic, call the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 or the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 right away***

March is Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month. It’s a good opportunity to look around your home from your dog’s point of view and see if there are any potentially dangerous substances lurking. If so, get rid of them, or move them safely out of your dog’s reach. And remember, some things that aren’t poisonous to us humans are not safe for our dogs!

Here are potential poisons in your home to make sure your dog can’t access:

Household Cleaners, Medications and Other Items

Rule of thumb: If it’s not safe for you to ingest, it’s not safe for your pooch! That means cleaners like dish detergents, laundry detergents, bleach products, chemical cleaners, and polish, as well as pest control and other products often found under the kitchen sink. Same with things like gasoline and propane you might keep outside or in the garage, as well as pills and medications. Keep everything from multivitamins to cough syrup to aspirin to prescription medications safely stored in the medicine cupboard.

It’s not likely that your pooch be attracted to these things, but sometimes dogs just want to chew on plastic, and ingesting the substances inside can be a by-product of that behavior. So don’t take any chances – make sure they’re safely put away.

Household Plants That Are Not Dog-Friendly

Seems crazy, but there are several common household plants that can be toxic to dogs when consumed in adequate amounts. Here’s a brief list of some plants that can cause medical issues in dogs when consumed:

• Aloe
• Amaryllis
• Bird of Paradise
• Cactus
• Gardenia
• Geranium
• English ivy
• Eucalyptus
• Jade
• Philodendron

Do you have a plant in your home you don’t see listed here? Even if you’re, like, 99% sure it’s okay, do a quick internet search just to make sure it’s safe for your pet.

Foods to Keep from Your Dog

Sure, most of us slip a few bites of delicious chicken or bacon to our pup from the dinner table, but don’t make the mistake of assuming that all human foods are safe for dogs, because that is not the case.

Keep your dog from ingesting products containing caffeine, chocolate, grapes and raisins, bread dough, and alcohol. You should also keep away other products like onions and garlic, dairy, certain fruits, and xylitol, or feed in small quantities. Though these substances aren’t poisonous, they can cause an upset stomach.

Read more about which human foods are safe and why certain foods should be avoided here on our blog.*

Learn More and Plan Ahead

If you suspect your dog has eaten something toxic, don’t take a wait-and-see approach – take action! Call the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 or the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435, available 24 hours a day. You might want to call your own vet, too. Program these numbers in your cell now so if you do need to call, you don’t waste precious moments looking up the number. And readthese emergency instructions from the Pet Poison Helpline so you know what to do in an emergency.

It doesn’t take much effort, and it’s worth it to keep your furbaby safe!