A lot of items in the household can cause harm to people when ingested, and there’s twice the number of dangerous things for pets. If you’ve ever dealt with a baby, you know they have an unending need to put everything in their mouths. It’s the same for a pet too! However, while babies grow up and learn not to eat everything, it’s a different story for pets.
You may be able to train your puppy, but you can never be too sure it won’t do something you’ll regret. To help ease your worry, here are a few of the most common household items that may cause harm to pets. You can use this list to start making your home more pet friendly and keep them safe.
Keep reading for all the tips and suggestions on how to keep your furry friend safe.
Common Household Items that are Toxic to Dogs
Foods and Beverages
Unsurprisingly, this comes first since food is one thing we love sharing with our pets. But! not everything humans consume is considered safe for our furry partners.
- Chocolate and coffee
These two suspects are always a part of everyone’s grocery list. They are addictive and delicious for humans but can be deadly for other animals. For the unaware pet owner, you may want to keep both items away from your pets because they can cause diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, hyperactivity, seizures, abnormal heart rhythm, etc.
The theobromine and methylxanthines present in chocolate and coffee are incredibly harmful to an animal’s body. So, maybe not feed your favorite snacks to your dog or cat even though you want to share them with your paw buddy.
- Onions, garlic, grapes, and raisins
Yup! these common ingredients that we all like to use to prepare tasty meals or snacks can kill your pet. This shouldn’t deter you from using these fantastic veggies. However, it would be best if you exercise caution. If you like assembling meals for your pets, ensure you don’t include the vegetables mentioned in their feeds.
Onions and garlic can reduce canine blood cells. Grapes and raisins will cause kidney failure.
- Bones and avocadoes
This one might be confusing because, time and again, we’ve seen pets enjoy a bone or two. Although injecting the bones or having avocado might not be harmful, these items are choking hazards and will damage their food passageways.
- Raw meat
This is one food item that has a lot of references in pop culture. Often times people are seen giving large slabs of meat to their pets in movies or videos, so we’re made to believe it’s safe for dogs or cats to consume raw meat.
The fact of the matter is your pets have been domesticated and bred in captivity for generations and have most likely stopped being resistant to parasites and bacteria. Hence giving them raw meat can be poisonous to them. They have a high chance of salmonella poisoning and other bacterial infections.
Household Chemicals
- Prescription drugs and veterinarians prescribe medications
Most of the drugs we consume for our health problems harm pets. They are treated with drugs that have been made explicitly for their biology. Therefore, if you’re tempted to give your four-legged buddy a painkiller to help ease their sorrow, you might end up making it worse.
Also, the drugs you’ve got specifically for your little furballs should be given as per the dose. Animals cannot consume large amounts of chemicals like humans. Even the slightest over might cause severe health complications.
- Cleaning products, insecticides, rodenticides, detergents, and antifreeze
The products mentioned above are harmful to both humans and animals. From what you’ve read so far, these should be the most conspicuous items on the list. It’s toxic and should not be kept anywhere near animals and children, for that matter.
They can cause instant death or excruciating symptoms that may require intensive medical care.
Other Household Objects
- Toys
Toys for both animals and young children can be a major health hazard for pets. Although they may not be poisonous, they can be a choking hazard or cause harm or detriment to your dog’s internal organs if ingested.
When purchasing toys for your dog, ensure you’re checking all the details and care instructions provided on the package.
- Plants
If you’ve got a green thumb and keep a lot of plants around, do your research about them in case you plan to introduce a pet in your house. Some greens are harmful to animals and can be toxic when consumed. Dogs like to chew on leaves and could end up consuming something that’s harmful to them.
- Household goods
This category can be ambiguous since ‘household goods’ can be a number of things. Here are a few examples to give you an idea of what you have to look out for:
- Bar of soaps
- Petroleum jelly
- Dry cell batteries
- Alcoholic beverages
- Toothpaste and breath mints
All these items can cause harm in some way or the other to pets. Therefore, they must be kept hidden to avoid accidental poisoning.
Tips for Poison Prevention for Dogs
Here’s what to do and what not to do to keep your pets safe and healthy in your home:
- Do’s
1) As a parent, you must educate yourself on everything that can harm your animal companion.
2) Just like keeping a first aid kit for your injuries, you must also have a poison kit for your little one.
3) If you have plants that can be potentially toxic for an animal, you’ll need to either give them away or keep them in a space where your pet will not find them.
- Don’ts
1) Do not feed the animals in your house anything that’s not good for them. This can be anything from consumable goods that you eat to chew toys that can be a choking hazard.
2) Do not keep household cleaning items, medicines, and chemicals in open spaces where your dog will find them.
3) Make sure your household is pet-proof with all the necessary measures in place to keep your puppy within your property.
6 Tips for First Aid for Dog Poisoning
Say something unfortunate did happen, and now your dog is showing signs of poisoning. Try not to panic and follow the steps below to provide immediate care and intervention to your puppy.
1) If available, you must contact your vet or a helpline for animal poison control.
2) Identify the item your puppy consumed since different symptoms correlate with other poisons.
3) Examine your dog and see if it’s vomiting, drooling excessively, exhibiting pain, twitching, or has convulsions, etc.
4) If your puppy is comatose, wrap it in a blanket and take it to the nearest animal care facility.
5) There may be a chance the chemical is just on the dog’s skin. So, if you smell any chemicals on them, bathe them with mild soap.
6) You can induce vomiting by giving a ratio of 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 20 pounds repeatedly for 10 minutes until they throw up. Do this only if you have physical evidence that your dog has consumed something they weren’t supposed to.
A dog can be a great addition to the family. They are an incredibly loyal, great company, and will always protect you. The least we can do for them is ensure they have a safe and loving home where they can feel happy and secure.
Some of My Favorite Products For Dog Owners
I hope this article has helped you just a bit in everyday life as a dog owner. Being a dog owner for more than 25 years, I’ve tried many different products with varying success, but these products below are some that I can highly recommend to every dog and their owner without hesitation!
These links are affiliate links, so if you do end up using the links, I will earn a commission. But it’s products that I use daily myself, and I have the utmost praise for.
Dog Food: Every dog needs to eat correctly, and finding the best food for your dog can be challenging, as the market is absolutely flooded with products. But since 2015 when the company was founded, I’ve been using Ollie Petfood. With their product being tailor-made to suit every dog’s specific needs, and as my dogs absolutely love the product, I’m pretty sure I’ve found a product I will continue to use for many years more. If you use my link you can get 50% off your first order.
Dog Training: If you’ve ever owned a puppy, you know that it requires a lot of training to grow into a well-behaved adult. Brain Training for Dogs has helped me immensely with the mental training part of raising a dog, and it’s something I strongly recommend you consider.
Grooming: If you have a dog in your home, you’re going to need a brush, and for this, I recommend a Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. For that price, you simply can’t beat this brush for everyday grooming.
If you’re looking for the most up-to-date recommendations, check out my recommended products section that I’ve created to help every dog owner!
