8 Poisonous Household Items That Could Kill Your Dog

Posted by Gerald Njuguna on October 30th, 2007 at 03:37pm

Dogs being naturally curious and scavengers, tend to eat almost anything. The danger is that there are potentially dangerous substances lurking in your home that could kill your beloved dog.

I have compiled a list of 8 common household items that you need to keep out of the reach of your dog.

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1) Chocolate:
Chocolate! How can chocolate kill my dog? One of the ingredients of chocolate is a chemical by the name of obromine which is quite toxic to dogs.

There are two types of chocolate that are especially dangerous to dogs; Baking chocolate & dark chocolate.

It normally takes huge amounts of chocolate to kill a dog but in some cases ingesting smaller amounts can poison and kill the dog.

If your dog has been poisoned by chocolate, it will start to vomit, diarrhea and urinate more frequently.

If this is not treated immediately, the dog will start having seizures & unusual heart rhythms.

2) Antifreeze
You may not realize this but antifreeze kills a lot of pets every year. Its sweet smell and lovely taste appeals to many dogs. Ethylene glycol, which is a key ingredient in antifreeze, is toxic and kills many animals if ingested.

Symptoms of antifreeze poisoning include the dog vomiting, having seizures, stumbling and being lethargy causing it to have kidney failure. Please ensure that you keep your antifreeze away from your pet and should the dog ingest the substance, take him to the vet as soon as possible.

3) Bleach

Household bleach is toxic to dogs. All products that contain bleach need to be kept away from the dog’s reach.

Dogs that have been poisoned by bleach show symptoms of abdominal pain, vomiting and drooling.

Please don’t induce vomiting if you suspect that your dog has ingested bleach.

Contact your veterinarian immediately.

4) Tylenol

2 regular strength Tylenol tablets are enough to kill a small dog.

The reason is that dogs don’t have the appropriate enzymes in their liver necessary to break down acetaminophen.

Dogs that have ingested Tylenol will start to drool, become lethargic and have abdominal pain.

Contact your vet immediately if you suspect that your dog has ingested Tylenol.

5) Fabric Softeners and other detergents:

At some level, all household detergents are harmful to dogs but fabric softeners are far more toxic to dogs.

Dogs that have been poisoned by softeners and detergents exhibit symptoms of vomiting, have burns in the mouth, drool, their muscles become weak and can even go to a coma.

Do NOT induce vomiting if your dog has ingested any detergents or softeners. Contact your vet immediately.

6) Moth Balls:

Moth balls are lethal if ingested by dogs because they contain a substance that causes the central nervous system of the dog to be excited resulting in seizures.

When the chemicals in the moth balls are metabolized, they cause the liver of the dog to fail! A dog that has been poisoned by moth balls will start to vomit and also have seizures.

Do not induce vomiting if the dog looks poisoned but seek proper medical advice from a vet.

7) Batteries of Watches:

Watch battery acid causes fatal ulceration in the stomach of the dog within 12 hours after ingestion.

Also, other alkaline batteries are toxic to dogs. A dog that has swallowed battery acid will start to drool, lose appetite, vomit and also become lethargic.

Seek immediate help from your vet.

Household Plants:

You might be having a popular household plant in your home and are not aware that it’s poisonous to your dog.

Good example of plants that are poisonous to your dog include; Poinsettias, Lilies, Ferns, Devil’s ivy, Aloe and Ivy

If we are cautious, we can prevent our lovable dogs from swallowing poisonous substances that can be fatal to them.

The internet has lots of information that will help you be wiser regarding your pet and how to care for your pet in order to prevent such disasters from happening.

If you suspect that your dog might have eaten something poisonous, the best advice I can give you is you ensure you contact your vet immediately and if possible take your dog to the nearest emergency pet clinic.

Dont forget: Read more info on “Veterinary Secrets Revealed” book written by Dr Andrew Jones. Discover simple secrets on how to safeguard your pet’s health, Slash Vet Bills, and even save your pet’s life! Learn over 1,000 safe, natural and effective solutions for healing your pet that you can easily accomplish in the comfort of your home..no Veterinary Science degree required here!! Visit his site here-> The Veterinary Secrets

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