Toxic To Animals
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These are just a FEW substances KNOWN or thought to make animals ILL or be FATAL. This list is in no way conclusive. I have not included items such as over the counter medications, cleaning products and cosmetics/sundries. ALL of them ARE TOXIC and should never be in reach of animals!
Be Prepared for a Poison Emergency
Your animal may become poisoned in spite of your best efforts to secure your home. Because of this, we urge you to be prepared. Your animal companion should regularly be seen by a local veterinarian to maintain overall health. Know your vet’s procedures for emergency situations, especially ones that occur after usual business hours. Keep phone numbers for the veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and a local emergency veterinary service in a convenient location.
INGESTION OF THESE ITEMS IS CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY, GET TO A VET! ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426-4435
—->XYLITOL ONE OF THE BIGGEST KILLERS<----
XYLITOL (artificial sweetener): Causes hypoglycemia and liver failure! Vets see many fatal cases of this each year, as much or more than chocolate!
ALCOHOL: Serious intoxication and alcohol poisoning has occurred as the result of sad and sick “jokes.” Animals are often attracted to alcoholic drinks, so do not leave them unattended. It takes a fraction of alcohol to affect an animal so much smaller than a human!
BONES: Cooked bones (most kinds) are brittle and can splinter and cause serious internal damage. Bones can splinter and lodge in the esophagus or elsewhere in the GI tract, possibly causing a puncture, laceration, or obstruction. Never allow your dog to chew on these bones (or any other type of bone that could splinter–the only bone that is safe for most dogs is a dried, processed, beef shin bone, available at pet stores.)
BREAD DOUGH: Raw yeast dough can result in serious alcohol intoxication, and risks bloat and gastrointestinal obstruction from the dough as it rises in the stomach.
CHOCOLATE (and COCOA BEAN MULCH USED IN LANDSCAPING): Chocolate is a killer, everyone knows this about animals, right? It contains Theobromine & Methylxanthine Alkaloids. Chocolate has been known to affect/kill cats, birds, rodents and reptiles as well!
CIGARETTES: It should not have to be mentioned, but some pets will EAT CIGARETTES!
COFFEE IN ALL FORMS: Acts as a stimulant and can cause severe heart acceleration and seizures.
GRAPES & RAISINS: Recently discovered (around 1989) the APCC noticed a trend in dogs who had eaten grapes or raisins: Nearly all developed acute renal (kidney) failure (from over a pound of grapes to as little as a single serving of raisins).
LEMON ESSENTIAL OIL: Lemon essential oil has been mentioned on many websites as a remedy for tar on paws, but it can be caustic to skin and there are too many stories of cats with renal (kidney) failure.
MACADAMIA NUTS: Causes increased body temperature, muscle stiffness, increased heart rate and tremors!
ONIONS: Onions (fresh or cooked) contain N-propyl disulphide causing oxidative damage to the hemoglobin/acute anemia (in both cats and dogs. If enough is ingested, it can even result in the need for a blood transfusion! Don’t forget that gravy, particularly at Thanksgiving, may contain onion!
PLANTS: Lurking in your home and garden… ASCPA’s List of Toxic Plants
POTPOURRI/POTPOURRI OIL: Cause severe burns to the mouth and esophagus. Essential oils can affect the nervous system, causing weakness, in coordination, and hypotension. Many of the plants used are also poisonous and should never be ingested!
SALMON & TROUT: Salmon and trout (and other raw fish) poisoning is very serious and often fatal. It is caused by a bacterial-like organism (Neorickettsia helminthoeca) that lives in little flukes which parasitize salmonid fish. This fluke (Nanophyetus salmincola) has three different hosts in its life cycle – snails, fish and mammals/birds. The fish eat the snails, mammals/birds eat the fish, and their droppings end up back with the snails again. The flukes travel along for the ride and find various forms of their life cycle in the different hosts. Normal mammalian hosts are critters that eat the salmon; bears, raccoons and birds. Apparently the rickettsia that come with the flukes that come with the fish don’t bother these mammals very often. And the flukes and snails seem to get along with the rickettsia pretty well. But dogs and coyotes are considered incidental hosts and haven’t evolved ways to counter invasion by the rickettsia.
YULE TREES (cedars, firs, spruce, pines): All contain volatile oils that can cause vomiting and diarrhea; needles can cause irritation to the mouth and stomach. It won’t be a happy holiday if your pet falls seriously ill when the vet is on vacation. This goes double for mistletoe, holly, poinsettia, amaryllis, Christmas cactus, ornaments, tree preservatives in the water, gift wrap/bows, tinsel and trimmings!
Unhealthy For Animals
MILK: Milk can cause digestive upsets in cats, they do not have the enzymes to break down the lactose in milk. If nursing kittens still need “milk” and cannot get it from their mother, they need milk replacement from your local pet store. It should not be given to dogs for the same reasons. Only baby cows should drink cow’s milk! Giving a nursing mother cottage cheese for diarrhea should be used sparingly for a limited amount of time.
TURKEY: Turkey itself is not necessarily dangerous, but dogs who gorge on turkey fat (or any other fatty food) can cause a painful, sometimes life-threatening attack of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) in susceptible individuals, with subsequent leakage of digestive enzymes and severe secondary infections!
