Pet poisons: Essential advice for pet owners

Poisoning is one of the most common reasons pet owners call the vet, and as with most things, prevention is better than cure. Being aware of food and products that are toxic to your pet and keeping them out of their reach is essential.

What are the most common causes of poisoning in pets?

Veterinary Nurse, Carolanne, says that the most common calls received from pet owners reporting cases of toxicity are:

Foods that are poisonous to dogs and cats

Chocolate

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine that the human body can process but dogs and cats cannot. There are some types of chocolate that are more harmful than others so the general rule is to keep ALL chocolate out of reach of your pets.

Always contact your vet immediately if you think your pet has consumed chocolate.

Grapes, raisins, sultanas and currents

These fruits can cause kidney failure in dogs but the process is not fully understood, some dogs can eat a huge amount and have no toxic affect, whereas one small grape could seriously harm another dog.

Household medicines that can be toxic to pets

Human painkillers

Over the counter human medicine such as ibuprofen can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, stomach ulcers and kidney failure in dogs.

Plants and wildlife that can poison pets

Lililes

The whole of this plant is toxic to cats, the pollen is particularly dangerous. Some cats brush against the flower then groom themselves, this causes the cat to ingest the pollen and they can quickly show symptoms of kidney failure.

The common toad

this species is found all over Britain and it secretes a coating making toads toxic to dogs and cats when ingested.

Slugs and snails

If eaten can transmit Lungworm. Adult lungworms live in the heart and the major blood vessels supplying the lungs of dogs and cats, they can cause potentially serious problems.

Garden and household chemicals that can be poisonous to pets

Mouse and rat poison

Some mouse and rat poisons of these can stop blood clotting internally. Symptoms of this don’t show for a few days so making sure your pet doesn’t encounter these in the first place is very important.

Permethrin

Permethrin is an insecticide that is found in dog flea treatments but is highly toxic to cats. Even the correct dose for a very small dog is enough to kill a cat.