Poisoned pet? Better get him to a vet!: image via furpawscare.com
Next week is Poison Prevention Week, and for the occasion, Embrace Pet Insurance has gone into its claims data base to see what main culprits were poisoning dogs and cats in 2011. You probably already know how seriously ill pets can become from chocolate, but the other 19 of the top 20 pet poisons may surprise you.
According to the North American Pet Health Association (NAPHA), there were 100,000 cases of pet poisoning in the U.S. last year. Ye-ow! This list of Embrace top poisons should make you stop giving your pets any people treats what so ever!
Here they are...
- Chocolate
- Raisins
- Mushrooms
- Xylitol (sweetener)
- Grapes
- Vitamins
- Gum
- Bones
- Chicken
- Macadamia Nuts
- Sugar
- Bread
- Cake
- Coffee
- Corn Cobs
- Dough
- Meat
- Rawhide
- Salmon
- Avocado
Even rawhide! Now that's scary, because it's not even (typically) human food. Actually, it's made for dogs, isn't it?
Pet poisoning symptoms can include gastrointestinal and neurological problems, cardiac and respiratory distress, coma, and even death. Symptoms depend on the item and quantity ingested or inhaled, and the physiological response of each animal can vary.
In any case, keep the number of your emergency vet or pet hospital nearby. All my dogs have been poisoned by something at some time. Get to the vet as fast as possible. Getting a pet to regurgitate what they've eaten is not pretty, but it's better than the alternative.
That's the buzz for today!
