When the worst happens…

Not too long ago, a staff member in our office had a terrifying experience with her dog. Gunnar, a 14-month-old pup with a talent for the “counter surf ‘n snatch”, found his owner’s prescription medications on the counter. He loved the way the rattle of the pills sounded in the container. Intrigued, he quickly succeeded in getting the child-proof lid off the container. In the couple of minutes he was unattended, there was no telling how many pills he may have swallowed.

Maybe you can relate; maybe that has happened to you and your pet, too. Or perhaps your cat got into a plant she shouldn’t have, or something unsafe was simply dropped, unnoticed – except by your pet. After treatment, Gunnar was fine. But the situation reminded us of how quickly something can happen, even when we are careful!

It happens, and it’s scary. Since it’s National Pet Poison Prevention Week, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the issue and help you avoid the same potential problem. Of course, we always do our best to have a pet-proof home, but accidents do happen.

My pet ate ________! Is that toxic?

One issue we might have is that we don’t even know if what was eaten is potentially toxic or not! A comprehensive list of all the potential toxins to our pets might be a bit prohibitive, so we have compiled a list of the most common pet poisons, according to the Pet Poison Helpline. Are you a pet owner looking for a refresher on which items might be potentially dangerous to your pet? A clinic looking for a simple handout for your clients? Click here for a pdf that’s worth reviewing. We encourage you to share it with your friends, family and clients! (We have a post over on our Facebook page too if that’s your preference.)

If your pet has already gotten into something, act quickly! Call your local vet, or you can call the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661. Either can help you assess how toxic what your pet ate was, and what your next steps should be.