2012 top pet toxins and poisons according to Animal Poison Control Center

This is perhaps the most active category for emergency calls fielded by poison control centers. The over-the-counter human medications include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen and herbal and nutraceutical products. This latter grouping include fish oils and joint supplements – these products are very tasty to pets and can be harmful and life threatening when pets ingest them.Perhaps many of us do not give insecticides much thought because their use has become so prevalent. However, pets and especially cats can get into them and quickly get overexposed. Directions given on labels should be thoroughly read and followed to protect pets. That includes insecticides inside the home as well as for yard use.The APCC handled more than 25,000 cases directly related to various human prescription medications in 2012. Leading the types of medications to which pets had exposure were heart medications (blood pressure pills), antidepressants and pain medications (opioids and prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). People were not leaving medications lying around or giving it to their pets. Rather, many of the exposures were because pills dropped accidentally, and dogs gobbled them up.View the list »
2012 top pet toxins and poisons according to Animal Poison Control Center

General Pets newsletter

The ASPCA has revealed that in 2012, the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, Illinois, processed over 180,000 cases from pet owners whose animals were exposed to toxic or poisonous substances.

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Following is the APCC’s list of the 10 most dangerous and often-called about toxins and poisons in 2012. It is noteworthy that for the fifth year in a row, human prescription medications topped the list of emergency calls.

If you have any reason to suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.

Source: ASPCA

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  • The APCC handled more than 25,000 cases directly related to various human prescription medications in 2012. Leading the types of medications to which pets had exposure were heart medications (blood pressure pills), antidepressants and pain medications (opioids and prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). People were not leaving medications lying around or giving it to their pets. Rather, many of the exposures were because pills dropped accidentally, and dogs gobbled them up.
  • Perhaps many of us do not give insecticides much thought because their use has become so prevalent. However, pets and especially cats can get into them and quickly get overexposed. Directions given on labels should be thoroughly read and followed to protect pets. That includes insecticides inside the home as well as for yard use.
  • This is perhaps the most active category for emergency calls fielded by poison control centers. The over-the-counter human medications include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen and herbal and nutraceutical products. This latter grouping include fish oils and joint supplements – these products are very tasty to pets and can be harmful and life threatening when pets ingest them.
  • Access to all veterinary medications and products should be avoided. This includes over the counter and prescribed medications. While flavored medicines make it easier to get animals to take medicines, that flavoring also makes them tasty and flavorful to eat in volume for pets. No access should ever be allowed to medications, and all of them should be kept high and locked up.
  • Products that we use around the house on a daily basis cause frequent calls to the poison control centers. Every home has cleaning and degreasing and dishwashing and countless other household products, most of them stored in garages and under cabinets, providing easy access to snooping dogs. The products do serious damage to pets – some are corrosive to their insides while others cause gastrointestinal tract problems requiring immediate surgical interventions.
  • It is hard to believe that people food can make pets sick or, worse, can prove toxic to pets. For one thing, too much of anything can make the dog sick. In addition, a particularly common food item can easily be ingested because it tastes good to them – it is xylitol (a sugar substitute). Xylitol will cause seizures and liver failure in dogs. Never feed grapes or raisins to dogs because they cause kidney failure.
  • Chocolate leads the calls to poison control centers by far. Dogs especially love chocolate and if they can find it lying around, they’ll most likely get into it. Don’t let it happen. Put all chocolate out of reach. This could be chocolate candies, cocoa or chocolate bars. Don’t take any chances with your pets. Too much chocolate, each animal is different as to what is too much, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures.
  • Plants represent the most calls to the poison control centers. Often pets will nibble grass and weeds to treat their sour stomachs. Sometimes they do it out of boredom. Who really knows. One thing is certain, however, that pets do ingest plants. Ultimately, they are getting serious exposure to plant toxicity. The number of identified plants that are toxic to pets has grown and this source of poisoning problems cannot be underestimated. For instance, lilies are highly toxic to dogs and cats, causing kidney failure in dogs and death in cats. The following two links contain useful and up-to-date information about toxicities, especially in plants: Animal Pet Doctor and ASPCA Pet Care.
  • Rodenticide products, when ingested by rodents (and pets), causes internal bleeding, kidney failure and seizures. It is vital to use extreme caution when setting out any rodenticide. Pets sometimes use their ingenuity to get into bait traps so it is important to be certain they cannot get into them. In addition, don’t set bait traps out and forget about them. Monitor all bait traps, and after a reasonable period of time, remove them or find another location and remember that one, too. Never permit your pets to get at any bait traps because they can kill pets as readily as rodents.
  • Pets are attracted to garden products since ingredients are often made up of dried blood, manure and bone meal. These are most prevalent in fertilizers in both lawn and garden products. Keep pets out of garden areas and use caution when applying certain products to lawns. This is most important if there is a chance horses or other livestock may have access to grass and plants where any products, especially chemicals, have been applied.
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, Eastford Horse Examiner

Heidi Rucki is a successful freelance author with a passion for family, horses, dogs and stained glass arts. She has served as publicity chairman, legislative liaison and fundraising chairperson for several large horse organizations and has served as president of The Connecticut Horse Council....

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