Keeping Your Pets from Harms Way With These Tips

There are many items that your pets should not eat. Begging can be seen as cute by some people and they might give in to treating there pets with human food, but you must be very careful. Certain things are toxic to your pets, things that you would not even imagine because you eat them regularly. Foods that pets should not consume include: alcoholic beverages, avocado, chocolate, coffee, fatty foods, macadamia nuts, moldy or spoiled foods, onions, onion powder, raisins, grapes, other fruits, salt, yeast dough, garlic, mushrooms, and sugar free products.

You might think it is funny to see an animal under the influence of alcohol, but this is abuse! There are accidental poisonings too, so this is why you should not leave drinks unattended for any reason. Even a small amount can cause problems; larger amounts can potentially cause death. The range of affects include vomiting diarrhea, breathing difficulties, tremors, acidosis, coma, and as I mentioned earlier death. Please protect your pets from consuming alcohol. If you are having a party where alcohol will be served, ensure that your animals are kept in another room of the house because on of your guests may unknowingly let your pets consume the alcohol. If you suspect your pet has consumed alcohol, take them to a veterinarian immediately.

Avocados contain a toxin called Persin, which can cause many problems for your pets. In dogs, gastrointestinal irritation occurs, which includes diarrhea and vomiting. Birds and rodents on the other hand are very sensitive and the most severe effect is death. Other types of effects include respiratory distress, congestion, and accumulation of fluid around the tissues of the heart. If you suspect your pets have consumed avocados, seek veterinarian assistance immediately.

Most people have heard that chocolate can be fatal to pets, which is very true. Effects of chocolate consumption in pets can include vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, excessive urination, hyperactivity, irregular heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and as I mentioned earlier death. As little as two ounces of chocolate can have devastating effects in a ten pound dog. Another effect can include pancreatitis. If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate of any kind, seek medical attention for them immediately.

You might not know, but fruit and pieces of the plants and trees can be toxic to pets. Particularly citrus plants contain citric acid, limonin, and volatile oils in the peeling, fruit, and seeds. These can cause gastrointestinal irritation, in the form of diarrhea and vomiting in pets, when consumed. High rates of ingestion can also result in central nervous system depression also. The stems, leaves, and seeds of many fruits including apples, cherries, peaches, apricots, and many other types contain cyanogenic glycosides, which can cause a wide range of problems. These include loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, incoordination, breathing difficulty, hyperventilation, shock, coma, and the worst is death. If you suspect that your pet has ingested fruit, particularly in high amounts, seek veterinarian assistance immediately.

Some types of mushrooms can cause severe problems, such as liver and kidney damage, severe gastrointestinal and neurological issues. It is important to realize that non-toxic and toxic mushrooms can grow right alongside one another, so it is extremely hard to identify between the two. If ingestion occurs, please contact your veterinarian immediately because this is a very serious problem.

Plans in the genus Allium, such as garlic, chives, and onions can be toxic to pets. These plants contain disulfides, which when ingested in large quantities can cause potentially harmful effects. These effects include gastrointestinal irritation and even worse red blood cell damage. Avoid feeding pets Allium plants or anything that has them as an ingredient because you might harm your pets. If consumption occurs, seek veterinarian assistance immediately.

Anything that contains the artificial sweetener xylitol or is deemed as sugar free should be avoided at all costs because it can cause many devastating problems in your pets. The sweetener causes pets to have a sudden drop in their blood sugar, which results in depression, incoordination, and seizures. If you suspect your pet has ingested anything containing this sweetener, seek help immediately because signs develop quickly. Liver failure has also been seen in many cases.

Yeast dough is another potential problem because the raw yeast can cause many issues. These include making the stomach expand as the dough rises, which can cause intestine to rupture and obstruction might also occur. Yeast can also form alcohol, which can too cause poisoning. When preparing any food containing yeast it is important to remove pets from the area so accidental ingestion does not occur. Seek veterinarian help if any ingestion occurs.

Coffee can cause the same affects as chocolate in pets. Any drink containing caffeine can harm pets in the same manner that chocolate does. Fatty foods should also not be consumed by pets because excessive animal fats can cause pancreatitis. Macadamia nuts and many other nuts should be avoided because the high phosphorus content can cause weakness, tremors, and paralysis. They can also lead to bladder stones. The only exception to the nut rule is peanut butter, but it must be sugar and salt free. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure also. Excessive salt causes many other kidney problems. Bones should not be consumed because they might splinter and pierce the pets' vital organs. Nutmeg causes tremors, seizures, and death in pets. Raw eggs can cause salmonella poisoning so it is best to cook them before feeding to pets. Honey and molasses are not toxic, but other sugars and corn syrups are dangerous to pets also. Moldy and spoiled foods can cause food poisoning and also tremors and seizures. If you suspect that these have been consumed by your pet, you should seek veterinarian assistance.

Besides food there are also many plants that should not be consumed by pets. These include mistletoe, poinsettias, sago palms, lilies, tulip bulbs, and oleander. For a complete list please go to the ASPCA website here. Each of these plants cause a variety of problems for your pets with the most severe being death. Protect your beloved pets by ensuring that you do not have any of them around. Also if you suspect possible ingestion, seek help through your veterinarian.

Other items that you should keep your pets away from include insecticides, pesticides, pool chemicals, mulch, citronella candles, fertilizers, toads, spiders, snakes, scorpions, medications, antifreeze, potpourri, ice melting products, mothballs, pennies from before 1982, fabric sheets, tinsel, batteries, glass ornaments, silica gel, and glow jewelry. These are just some of the many things that your pets should not consume for many different reasons. Pet safety is a serious matter that should not be taken lightly. If your pet is acting different, you should seek medical attention with your veterinarian.

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