a poison safe home

submitted by susanjillian on mon, 2006-04-03 15:10. terms: hybrid canines

The following data is from the ASPCA site but always bears repeating: I forgot that dryer sheets are a concern so I needed this reminder as much as anyone. Bonnie is always grabbing dryers sheets.

Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pet

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Avocado (Note - especially true for parrots - do not ever let them near the skin or pits of this fruit)
  • Chocolate (all forms)
  • Coffee (all forms)
  • Fatty foods
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Moldy or spoiled foods
  • Onions, onion powder
  • Raisins and grapes
  • Salt
  • Yeast dough
  • Garlic
  • Products sweetened with xylitol

Warm Weather Hazards

  • Animal toxins: toads, insects, spiders, snakes and scorpions
  • Blue-green algae in ponds
  • Citronella candles
  • Cocoa mulch
  • Compost piles Fertilizers
  • Flea products
  • Outdoor plants and plant bulbs
  • Swimming-pool treatment supplies
  • Fly baits containing methomyl
  • Slug and snail baits containing metaldehyde

Medication
Common examples of human medications that can be potentially lethal to pets, even in small doses, include:

  • Pain killers
  • Cold medicines
  • Anti-cancer drugs
  • Antidepressants
  • Vitamins
  • Diet Pills

Cold Weather Hazards

  • Antifreeze
  • Liquid potpourri
  • Ice melting products
  • Rat and mouse bait

Common Household Hazards

  • Fabric softener sheets
  • Mothballs
  • Post-1982 pennies (due to high concentration of zinc)

Holiday Hazards

  • Christmas tree water (may contain fertilizers and bacteria, which, if ingested, can upset the stomach.
  • Electrical cords
  • Ribbons or tinsel (can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction—most often occurs with kittens!)
  • Batteries
  • Glass ornaments

Non-toxic Substances for Dogs and Cats
The following substances are considered to be non-toxic, although they may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in some animals:

  • Water-based paints
  • Toilet bowl water
  • Silica gel
  • Poinsettia
  • Cat litter
  • Glue traps
  • Glow jewelry
submitted by lesley on wed, 2006-04-26 10:49.

Our toilets all have little tiny paw prints on the inside slope from Floyd and Doobie, the cats. I'm sure some people might find this offensive but I consider it a sign of a clean bowl. Cats generally won't drink bad or dirty water, and our boys are particularly fussy (it has to be clean AND cold). They'll use the toilet if one of the dogs has been drinking out of their bowl. Apparently dog slobber is NOT acceptable! :-)

Just want to add that if you use any kind of automatic bowl cleaner/additive, then you may want to keep the lid down. For example, because we are on a septic system, I use an automatic septic system bacterial (Septo-Bac) aid that is dispensed like those 'blue' bowl cleaners. I don't know if it's toxic or not, but I don't want to find out the hard way, so I keep the lid down on that particular toilet!