Pets & Poisons

Having pets means having the responsibility of keeping them healthy and safe. Like children, pets can get into poisons that can cause them harm. Many of the same poison prevention tips apply to both pets and children. It is important to implement poison prevention in your home to decrease the risk of poison exposure in our furry little friends.

Tip 1

Keep things like cleaning products, medication, cosmetics, personal care items, chemicals, and pesticides out of reach, and store them safely. Be wary of where you leave these products. If products are open or on side tables where they are easily accessible, pets are curious and can get poisons on their skin, inhale poisons, or ingest poisons.

Tip 2

Install child locks on drawers and cabinets that could be accessible to your pet. 

Tip 3

Know which plants are safe to have around pets. A list of common house plants can be found here. This list includes plants that can harm both children and pets if ingested or touched.

Tip 4

Keep all products in the original container. If you call the poison center when your pet is poisoned, product information can be extremely helpful, especially in determining how much they consumed.

Emergency Measures

Call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 when the emergency happens to get expert poison advice. DO NOT give your pet any medicine until you talk to the poison center or the veterinarian. If a pet is exposed to an inhaled poison, get them to a well-ventilated area with fresh air. If the pet's skin gets poison on it, flood the skin with water for 10 minutes. Give water right away if chemicals or household products are swallowed, unless your pet is unconscious.

Antifreeze

A very small amount of Antifreeze can be fatal to pets in under 18 hours! It has a sweet taste to it, so it is attractive to pets. Always keep this product out of reach and stored safely to keep your pet safe from Antifreeze exposure.