Pet poisoning can be exceedingly harmful or even fatal, where one in hundred pets die from intoxication by ingesting poisonous substances.

Moreover, treating the poisoning can be costly, ranging from $250 to $5,000, depending on the severity.

The safety tips to avoid poisoning include keeping toxic substances out of the pet’s reach, being careful while giving food, keeping them away from toxic plants, analyzing poisoning signs, and contacting the vet.

Read further to find ways to prevent pet poisoning and diagnose problems early.

How Pet Poisoning Occurs?                        

When a pet consumes, inhales, or absorbs a poisonous chemical, it often produces mild to severe toxicity.

If you are wondering, household cleaners, human drugs, plants, foods, and chemicals can quickly poison pets.

Some common pet toxins include Xylitol, over-the-counter medications, insecticides, and Rodenticides.

When a pet is poisoned, toxins enter the circulation through several different means, such as ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption.

The process and speed of toxication and time for poison detection vary on the type and amount of chemical ingested.

Substances like chocolate, rat poison, and household cleaners produce immediate symptoms by mixing in blood within an hour.

Diagnostic tests like blood work and urine tests help to detect the problem within a few hours. 

If these tests do not show precise results, endoscopy and toxicology screening can be helpful.

Signs of Pet Poisoning:

• Pesticides and certain plants cause gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
• Insecticides and rodenticides develop neurological symptoms like ataxia and seizures.
• Carbon monoxide and household cleaners cause respiratory problems like difficulty breathing, excessive drooling, and foaming in the mouth.
• Abnormal behavior like confusion and aggression.
• Change in appetite.
• Skin infection, yellowish gums, and red eyes.
• Swelling of face, legs, and other body parts
• Dilated pupils or sensitivity to light.
• Coma and death if the intoxication is severe.

Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe from Poisoning

Here are five proven ways to prevent your pet from getting poisoned.

1.Keep Toxic Substances Out of Reach

Skin care and grooming products, floor cleaners, and every product available in hardware consists of poisonous composition within it and can be fatal to your pet’s health.

Moreover, cosmetics items have flavor and aroma, which also lure cats and dogs towards them.

Household products harmful to pets

• Insecticides, rodenticides, and herbicides.
• Antidepressants and sleep aids.
• Painkillers like aspirin and acetaminophen can be fatal to cats.
• Mouthwash, lotion, petroleum jelly, bar and liquid soap, makeup, and other products.
• Anti-freeze products and coolants.

Chemicals present in home products that poison pets

• Ammonia.
• Bleach.
• Phenol.
• Ethylene Glycol.
• Organophosphates.
• Carbamates.

Tips to keep pets safe from toxic substances

• Keep the products containing chemicals in a secure cabinet.
• Store medications safely. Close the lids of harmful products tightly.
• Move the pet to another area while cleaning the floor with strong chemicals.
• Follow package instructions when using floor cleaners.
• You should dispose the batteries, chemicals, and medications properly.

2. Be Careful with Food

Our diets are heavy in fats and calories. As a result, you should not feed leftovers to pets as they fail to digest them.

Dogs and cats cannot digest high-calorie foods. Moreover, giving the foods we eat to our pets can even cause intoxication and severe intestinal issues.

Foods harmful to pets

• Chocolate
• Onions
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Raisins
• Chives
• Alcohol

Tips to keep pets safe from toxic foods

• Avoid giving leftovers or table scraps to your pet at parties and gatherings.
• Feed your pet a balanced diet that needs their nutritional needs.
• Practice good hygiene and clean the bowls before giving food.
• Do not give contaminated or long-term stored meals.
• Consult the vet if your pet is allergic to other foods except for harmful ones.

3.Analyze the Signs of Poisoning

It’s crucial to examine the symptoms of pet poisoning to quickly and effectively diagnose the issue, stop additional exposure, and take precautions against recurrence.

After consuming the poison, your dog or cat may become anxious or restless and start showing symptoms 30 minutes to 4 hours after ingesting it.

How to analyze the signs of pet poisoning

• See regularly if your pet has pale gums or not.
• Pet acting disoriented and unfocused can be the first sign of poisoning.
• Check if your pet is eating and drinking well.
• Staying inactive and not responding to commands.

Visible signs of pet poisoning

• Lethargy and weakness.
• Breathing difficulty.
• Excessive drooling.
• Blood in urine and stool.
• Irregular heartbeat and seizures.

Why monitoring your pet is necessary?

• To identify the signs of poisoning early.
• To ensure the safety and health of your pet.
• It can help veterinarians with the proper diagnosis and treatment.
• Allows you to take measures for future incidents.

4. Keep Your Pet Away from Toxic Plants

Poisonous plants can cause digestive issues and organ damage, such as liver and kidney failure in pets which can be life-threatening.

Moreover, they can also affect the nervous system and make the skin irritated, itchy, and swollen if pets contact them.

Plants toxic for pets:

• Tulips.
• Daffodils.
• Azalea
• Sago’s palm.
• Lilies.
• Hyacinth
• Aloe Vera.
• Philodendron.
• Chrysanthemums.
• Snake Plant.

Tips to keep your pet away from toxic plants:

• Do not plant harmful plants in your yard.
• Create a safe play area on your home premises for your pet.
• Use physical barriers such as fencing or pet gates.
• Use pet-safe plant repellents around the toxic plants, such as Bitter apple spray, Citronella spray, etc.

5. Reach out to Your Vet

Getting immediate veterinarian help is crucial because surviving poisoning can be difficult if the treatment is delayed.

The poison’s type and quantity, the pet’s size and age, and the interval between exposure and treatment are some variables that affect the severity of the poisoning.

Therefore, it will be helpful for further diagnosis if you bring any suspected poisons to the vet.

Also, if you see your pet ingesting a poison, remember what they ate, how much they ate, and when they ate it so you may use that information for proper treatment.

Preventive measures to take immediately:

• Remove the source of poison from your pet’s environment to prevent further exposure.
• Check your pet’s breathing and vital signs.
• Provide first aid, such as inducing vomiting.
• Give activated charcoal as it absorbs toxins immediately.
• Keep your pet calm and comfortable.
• Minimize the noise and activity around it.

Vet treatment for pet poisoning:

• Stabilizing the pet’s vital signs.
• Giving meditations to reduce pain.
• Decontamination and eliminating poison from their body.
• Administering IV fluids.
• Monitoring and follow-up.

Conclusion:

Keeping your pet safe is important since pet poisoning may be a serious, even life-threatening problem.

To reduce the risk of poisoning, keep your pet away from harmful substances and plants and store the materials safely at home.

Moreover, if you think your pet may have been poisoned, seek veterinary medical assistance immediately.

Contact Urban Pet Hospital and Resort, the Best Pet Hospital in Urbandale, and reach our certified veterinarian to seek help in the case of an emergency.