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Look Out, Poisons About!

Look out! Poisons about

As the saying goes, “knowledge is power” – so arm yourself with some new knowledge to better care for your best furry friend!

Just how much do you know about hidden pet poisons around the home? You’d be surprised by how many nasties are hiding around the house, that can be dangerous to your pet. But don’t worry – all you need to do is keep the items below well out of your pet’s reach, and your home will be safe for every member of the family.

Let’s go room by room, so you can make a checklist of things to put in cabinets, drawers, or high out-of-reach spots…

Kitchen

Most poisons you’ll find in the kitchen are related to food, which may accidentally be fed to your pet as a treat (unless you have a food-obsessed animal that might dig through the groceries or eat anything they can reach on the counter top).

The most concerning poisons in the kitchen are…

• Alcohol. It affects dogs in the same way it affects humans, which might be funny to some people, but is dangerous to animals! When consumed in high doses, alcohol can cause intoxication, gastrointestinal issues, coma and eventually death.
• Avocado. Super healthy for humans, but not for pets. Avocados (all parts of them) contain a chemical compound called persin, which when ingested can cause gastrointestinal upset, vomiting and diarrhoea.
• Cleaning products. Dettol, Pine-O-Cleen and a number of other cleaning products contain a compound known as benzalkonium chloride, which is usually ingested by cats who lick a surface recently cleaned with any of these common household cleaners. Signs that your cat has taken in this compound include drooling, fever and oral ulcers.
• Caffeine. If you have a curious feline or canine that likes to taste whatever’s in your mug, think again about letting them (although we’re quite sure you don’t go about sharing your morning coffee with your pet anyway!). In high enough doses, caffeine – also found in energy drinks, tea and pharmaceuticals – can cause restlessness, rapid breathing, muscle tremors and seizures.
• Chocolate. Remember the old Oreos ad? “Mum says, chocolate isn’t good for dogs”? That little boy was right! Chocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs include increased drinking and urination, restlessness and hyperactivity, trembling, vomiting, diarrhoea, increased heart rate and seizures.
• Fly and bug spray. If you have can of Mortein or Raid on hand in the kitchen to knock down flies, be careful when spraying it around your pets: these sprays contain pyrethrins and pyrethroid insecticides that can harm your cat and dog. Symptoms of poisoning include drooling, tremor, restlessness and convulsions.
• Grapes, sultanas, raisins and currants. This family of fruits causes kidney failure in dogs, though vets aren’t 100% sure why. Keep in mind these fruits turn up dried in many seasonal desserts including fruit cakes and hot cross buns. Signs that your dog has been poisoned include lethargy and repeated vomiting.
• Onion. Onions and the onion family (including garlic and chives) can cause gastrointestinal upset. Ingestion can also lead to red blood cell damage, resulting in anaemia. Interestingly, some pet foods contain garlic for its wealth of nutritional benefits; these foods are still safe to give to your dog.
• Xylitol. This artificial sweetener, commonly found in drinks, lollies and toothpaste, causes insulin release in dogs, causing their blood sugars to drop to dangerous levels. It may also cause delayed liver injury. Signs of poisoning include vomiting, lethargy and loss of your pet’s coordination.

Bathroom

The bathroom mostly presents poison dangers to your pet in the form of medicines (unless you happen to keep your medicines somewhere else!). The most common of these are:

• Antihistamines. Used to treat allergies, hay fever and skin rashes, antihistamines such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claratin and other common brands are all toxic to your dog or cat. Antihistamine poisoning presents itself through lethargy, severe agitation, seizures, respiratory problems and can lead to death.
• Anti-inflammatories. Common over-the-counter medicines such as Nurofen and Voltaren cause vomiting, diarrhoea, gastric ulcers and kidney failure in dogs and are extremely dangerous.

The best measure to take is to keep any human medication away from pets – they have their own medication available at vet clinics, after all!

Garage

The garage presents myriad issues for your pets – in fact, we suggest that pets not be allowed in any garage, even under supervision. This is due to the many dangers including:

• Adhesives. Glues such as Selleys and Gorilla Glue, if ingested, can fatally damage your dog’s gastrointestinal system. This is because many glues expand when swallowed, creating obstructions in the stomach that can only be removed via surgery.
• Ant bait. It’s not just dangerous to ants: ant baits such as those made by Mortein and Combat contain boric acid, which is toxic to dogs if enough is ingested. Your dog will probably be temped to eat ant bait because it’s formulated to have a sweet smell that attracts ants in the first place.
• Batteries. These are dangerous in more ways than one. Firstly, they can create a blockage in the oesophagus, causing damage to your dog quite quickly. Secondly, their left-over charge can react with the moisture in your dog’s stomach, producing an alkali chemical that can cause serious internal bleeding and burns.
• Coolant. If you manage to spill coolant on the garage floor, your pet may very well be inclined to drink it due to its sweet taste. This will lead to fatal poisoning due to the toxic glycols (a type of alcohol) contained within coolant and antifreeze.
• Lead. Poisoning via lead is probably unlikely to occur due to the limited items your dog or cat may ingest that contain lead. A good example is lead-based paint — if this lands on their coat, they may try to lick it away, which will make them very ill indeed.
• Magnets. You might also want to be careful with the magnets in your kitchen, but you might find magnets in your garage as well. If ingested individually they are harmful, and if your dog eats more than one, they can block the oesophagus or cause serious intestinal damage such as obstruction and perforation.
• Insecticides. Chlorpyrifos, Malathion and Diazinon are now very rare to find in households, but nonetheless if ingested they are extremely toxic to dogs. Symptoms of insecticide poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea, salivation, tremors and seizures.
• Slug and snail killer and rat bait. Though the signs of poisoning are different – snail killer poisoning will cause rapid-onset convulsions, whilst rat bait will cause blood clots and myriad of other horrible problems that lead to death – these pest baits are very dangerous to your pets. If you suspect your dog may have eaten rat poison, you should take them to an emergency vet immediately.

Garden

While the garden and back yard are great places to enjoy our pets’ company, there are numerous dangers that lurk within the garden shed, including:

• Fertilizers. Many common brands include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compounds that are toxic to dogs, and to make things even more complicated, they may also contain added herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. The effects of ingestion will vary due to the many different way fertilizers are formulated, but those that contain blood and bone are particularly interesting to dogs and should definitely not be eaten!
• Mushrooms. Wild mushrooms that spring up in your garden should be promptly removed in case they are poisonous. Difficult for the average person to identify, some poisonous mushrooms can cause liver and kidney failure that lead to death, while others can bring on seizures.
• Pesticides. Though the toxicity of pesticides varies greatly due to the sheer number of different brands on the market, all of them – whether they’re designed to kill insects, fungi or even small mammals – are toxic to your cat and dog.
• (Some) plants. Not all plants are toxic of course (it’s best to look up a full list online), but if you have a cat, there are some plants that should not be in the home or garden at all. The most notorious is the lily: all parts of the plant can make your cat very sick and can even lead to death. Some other common plants that are dangerous include azaleas, daffodils, jasmine, lily of the valley, rhubarb and tulips.

If your pet has ingested any of the above, be sure to contact your vet (an emergency vet in come cases) to determine your next course of action. Being aware of these poisons

What our clients say...

Testimonials

Greer Thompson

We were thrilled at the care & love that was shown to us, and our beautiful little Paris (dog) pre her cremation!! Had no dramas what so ever in relation to them taking care of Paris after we said goodbye to her at the Vets Hospital in Springwood! Loved how we got a death certificate, a seed to plant in her honour, & other little mementos of her, that came in a lovely folder!! Also loved how they delivered her to our home, the gentleman dressed in a lovely suit & he was wearing white gloves!! A truly nice touch I thought!! This was 2 years ago! Was recommending them to my niece who sadly is putting their much loved Bailey (dog) to sleep today, 3/6/17!! Was reading thru some of the reviews so thought I would post a positive for Pets in Peace!

Greer Thompson
Brisbane

Katrina Eddy

We will forever be grateful to Pets in Peace for the care and understanding when our Maybe passed. It was a tough time for us and the way they handled it was with the highest respect and understanding. We are very happy to have our baby home now and are extremely happy in this sad time with the service we received. I would also like to thank Eddy the gentleman who came out and collected our sweet girl for his work and the care taken with Maybe. In this time of sorrow it is so great to know that there are people there to help with decision with such understanding. Thank you again. Will have no problem recommending your service to anyone that may need it.

Katrina Eddy
Brisbane

Jade Wright

Thank you so much! I couldn’t recommend pets in peace enough. Our little Bowzer crossed the rainbow bridge and we have something so beautiful to keep with us forever. I found all your staff to be compassionate, helpful and patient with us while we not only processed our little boy leaving this earth but also deciding on all on the arrangements. We thank you for being so understanding and nothing was ever too hard even when we requested a particular white paw to be printed. Thank you again.

Jade Wright
Brisbane

Stephanie Hulett

Absolutely recommend Pets in Peace. They were so kind, respectful, professional and compassionate. Every step in the process was well-considered to support the owner during a difficult time. The team went out of their way to handle my beautiful pet in a thoughtful & considerate way, and gave me the support, time and opportunity to say good bye & grieve. Losing a pet is awful, but Pets in Peace made the whole thing a bit more bearable & helped me honour my pet’s memory.

Stephanie Hulett
Brisbane

Stuart Cain

We would like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for the absolute care and dignity shown to ALL our family members during the passing of our two puppies that you have cared for. My children and grandchildren asked me to pass on their appreciation to Jeremy who cared for Zorro, he went above and beyond and Tracy who I spoke with during our most recent experience was professional and personal at the same time which is often difficult to achieve in difficult times! We can’t recommend you highly enough and will be returning when the need arises in the future.

Stuart Cain
Brisbane

David & Rob

Dear Martin & Bev, 

We just wanted to follow-up on our thank you card from yesterday to say how much we have valued the sensitive and compassionate service we received from all the staff of Pets In Peace. From the moment of our initial email inquiry two weeks ago to the safe delivery of Akimi’s ashes to us yesterday, we have always felt we were in safe and professional hands. We received expert care in every stage of the process. 

We have no doubt that the moment Akimi was taken into care by Pets in Peace, she would have been treated with the same dignity and respect we were with each email and phone contact. I spoke and emailed with Abbey several times and she was always calm, professional, and very caring in our time of grief and loss. Abbey took the time to listen to our needs and recommended a service appropriate to that. Please thank her for us; she is definitely a credit to you. Also the time the driver spent chatting with me yesterday was deeply appreciated; my apologies as I have forgotten his name. But he did not simply drop the ashes and run but took the time to have a personal interaction and talk to me as one who understood what I was going through. That will not be forgotten. 

And the sensitive, caring, and secure way Akimi’s ashes were returned to us was very comforting. The sealed scatter box with the ashes inside a sealed bag within a velvet bag in the box. And on a bed of pink tissue paper. We loved the engraved plaque and the sensitive cremation certificate and a gold paw print. And her lock of hair will be treasured. Such attention to detail and care with these mementos is deeply appreciated. We can’t thank you all enough for making such a difficult and traumatic time that much easier for us. 

We scattered Akimi’s ashes this morning in the garden below our balcony, along with some yellow rose petals. Just a simple and short ceremony with the two of us, and she is now at rest. And the gorgeous engraved plaque has been affixed to a lovely frame with the photo of Akimi in it. And today we registered a star in her name with the International Star Registry. She may be gone from us physically, but her light will never fade in our lifetime.   

Once again, we can’t thank you enough for being there for us when we needed you. 

Best regards,

David and Rob 

Need more information? No problem.

For more detailed information on any of our services simply give us a call to speak with one of our caring and supportive team.

1800 100 909

  • Home
  • Memorial Services
    • 24-Hour Service
    • Cremation
    • Funerals
    • Viewings
    • Private Burials
    • Exhumation
  • Commemorative Products
  • Payment Plans
    • About Zip
  • Support
    • Dealing With Grief
    • FAQS
  • Online Memorials
    • Online Memorial Submission
  • About
    • About Pets in Peace
    • Standards & Accreditations
    • Pets In Peace Blog
    • Premises and Facilities
  • Contact
    • Contact Us – Loganholme
    • Contact Us – Clontarf
    • Contact Us – Ipswich
    • Contact Us – Toowoomba
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Loganholme

Head Office
22/24 Babdoyle Street,
Loganholme Qld 4129

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Clontarf

37 Snook Street,
Clontarf Qld 4019

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333 Brisbane St,
West Ipswich Qld 4305

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36a Vanity Street
Rockville QLD 4350

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