3 Common Household Items That Could Be Lethal to Your Dog

Life is busy, most people have kids, partners, jobs and a family to worry about. One thing you don’t worry about so much is letting your dog roam around the house freely. However, thousands of dogs all over the world die each year as a result of poisons found in popular household products. These manufactured chemicals can be found in everything from cleaning products to medicines.

This article will inform you of three particularly dangerous and commonly found poisons in households all over the country. It will also offer invaluable tips on how to respond to the poisons and reduce their threat.

#1. Cleaning Products

While great for keeping surfaces bacteria-free and the floors shiny, household cleaning products pose a serious threat to your dog’s life. The Veterinary Journal in 2010 released the article ‘Animal poisoning in Europe,’ which was quick to identify dogs as the biggest sufferers of household poisons. The powerful chemicals used in products like bleach and window cleaners can kill dogs alarmingly quickly.

One way to reduce to the chances of your dog coming into contact with such products, is to shut your dog outside, or in a separate room, until all cleaning products have been fully absorbed and dried. It is also worth keeping any cleaning products safely stored away, where your curious dog cannot gain access to it.

If you’re concerned your dog may be showing symptoms of poisoning, seek guidance and treatment from your local vet swiftly. If it is on their skin, rinse thoroughly and if they have ingested any products, follow your vet’s advice as to whether or not you should attempt to get the dog to vomit.

#2. Chocolate

One thing you wouldn’t think to worry about so much is the food you eat. If your family can eat it, surely it won’t do any harm to your dog? Wrong. There are a whole host of foods that are poisonous to your dog and could even kill him.

While coffee, grapes, and garlic are all dangerous, one particularly tasty and potentially lethal food product is chocolate. The darker it is, the more toxic it is to your dog. It is the methylxanthine in chocolate that poses such a threat. So if your dog is vomiting, extremely thirsty, hyperactive, or suffering with seizures and irregular heart beats, then they may be suffering with cocoa poisoning and urgent medical attention should be sought.

If you do suspect your dog has ingested chocolate, encourage them to throw up and keep them calm. To reduce the chances of them eating any in the first place, keep chocolate out of reach of dogs and tucked away in cupboards.

#3. Medicines

Another common poisoning culprit is human medicines. These can contain extremely harsh, potent drugs and chemicals that can kill your dog swiftly. Acetaminophen in Tylenol and other drugs can be a barrier to oxygen flow, as well as doing irreparable harm to the liver.

Dog medicines can also be lethal if your dog takes too many. The solution to this problem is to keep both pet and human medicines out of reach of your dog. If it is human medicines, keeping them in containers with child safety caps is also advisable. But usually, just moving all medicines to a high location, will prevent any dog or young child accessing them.

Thankfully, even if your dog has been poisoned, a number of treatment options exist for treating even severe poisonings, so your vet may well be able to save your dog.