Dr. Reed Stevens shares household dangers to your cat and dog.
For cats
Candles – a lit candle on your mantle place can singe whiskers and it can also get knocked over and cause a fire.
Essential oils are popular but the diffusers putting essential oils in the air can cause serious respiratory problems for your cat so keep them away from your cat.
Flea medications designed for dogs will cause seizures in cats.
Tall vertical things such as bookshelves, cat trees, Christmas trees can fall over causing harm to your home as well as your cat.
For dogs
Grapes and raisins, even just a few can serious kidney problems.
Pennies, something as simple as a penny will cause gastric ulcers and even hemolytic anemia
A young dog chewing on a battery will cause ulcers in the stomach and a risk of foreign body and burns in the mouth.
Electrical cord that is plugged in and chewed by your dog will cause ulcers in the mouth and as well as respiratory failure and lung damage.
Xylitol found in many chewing gums, as well mouthwash and toothpaste are very toxic to dogs. Just a few sticks of the gum with xylitol can put your dog in the hospital so be very careful of a dog getting into your purse.
Ibuprofen, great for people and pain, not for dogs. Never give a medication to a dog without checking with your veterinarian first. Some things are safe some are not.
Gorilla glue, very odd, dogs seem to love the smell and flavor of this glue. Unfortunately, in the stomach, exposed to acid, the stomach blows up to the size of a basketball and requires surgery to be removed.
Scissors – trimming matts from behind a dog’s ear. Dr. Reed says nice idea, but he has seen too many people lacerate their dog’s ears because of this. Please use clippers or take your dog to a groomer.
Chocolate – Baker’s chocolate is 4 times more dangerous than dark chocolate and dark chocolate is four times more dangerous to a dog than milk chocolate.
Antifreeze – In this Fall season a lot of people are using antifreeze for their RV’s, boats, and cars. Propylene glycol is safer for dogs, but some dogs still really have a problem with this so keep them away from antifreeze. He says even a tablespoon of ethylene glycol antifreeze will kill a dog or cat.
Dr. Stevens says a nice source for emergency care and knowledge is the book 101 essential tips by preventative vet and is available online.
If you have questions, check with your vet. Many veterinarians are offering telemedicine. Just give them a call. Do not make your cats vomit, only make your dog vomit if your vet tells you to.
