Last month, we gave you tips from our veterinarians to help keep your pet safe during the summer, including a reminder about keeping pets away from areas where products like fertilizers, pesticides, rodenticides, and snail and slug bait are used or stored. This month, we wanted to make you aware of other products around your home and yard that may pose a danger to pets.
1. Laundry Detergent Pods
It’s not just children who may find those popular bite-sized laundry detergent pods interesting; pets (and dogs in particular) may mistake them for toys or food and consume them. Just biting into one of these laundry soap pods can release the highly concentrated detergent into a pet’s mouth. And not only can consuming these pods cause vomiting (which may appear foamy from the detergent), diarrhea, gagging, and drooling in pets, but it can also lead to coughing, breathing difficulty, and even lung inflammation and suffocation if the pet accidentally inhales the foamy vomit. Swallowing the laundry detergent pods whole can also cause problems if they get stuck in a pet’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract and create a blockage.
2. Other Laundry Products
Cats may be more likely to knock a liquid container of laundry detergent over or off a shelf and get some of the liquid on themselves. Grooming to remove the detergent can make them sick. Keep all laundry detergent and other laundry supplies like liquid fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach, and stain and odor removers/sprays tightly closed and far out of reach of pets (and children)—ideally behind closed doors in an area your pet can’t get into.
If your pet has ingested something toxic like laundry detergent pods, do not try to make your pet vomit! Contact your Jacksonville veterinarian right away at 904-337-0076 (West location) or 904-694-0541 (Beaches location).
3. Mothballs
Consuming these common pesticide products that are used to keep moths out of stored clothing can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness/tiredness in dogs and cats. Ingested moth repellent products in any form (ball, cube, cake, powder, or flake) and even in small amounts may also cause seizures, tremors, and kidney or liver damage and can be fatal to pets. Prompt treatment for mothball poisoning is key to the best chance for a full recovery.
4. Essential Oils
Essential oils may soothe your nerves and make your house smell pleasant, but unfortunately some essential oils can be dangerous to cats if they inhale or ingest them or get them on their skin. Not only can certain oils cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, wobbliness/unsteadiness, and trouble breathing in cats, but they can also cause tremors and liver damage, depending on how much and what type of oil a cat is exposed to. Certain essential oils can be toxic to dogs as well.
5. Flea and Tick Preventatives
These insecticide/parasiticide products are safe if used per the manufacturer’s label instructions. But if a product intended for a dog is used on a cat or if a pet ingests one of the products meant for topical application, it can cause severe toxicity, including vomiting, breathing difficulty, and seizures. In addition, some “natural” flea and tick remedies contain potentially toxic essential oils. These products are also not regulated and generally not effective. For these reasons, the veterinarians at Jacksonville Community Pet Clinics recommend keeping dogs and cats on an FDA-approved or EPA-registered product.
Always follow your vet’s recommendations and the label instructions when administering flea and tick preventives. Never use a dog product on a cat.
Check out our specials page for discount offers on vet-recommended flea and tick preventives.
6. Human Medications
Many prescription and nonprescription medications, including the pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motril, and others) and naproxen sodium (including Aleve and Naprosyn), antidepressants, ADHD drugs (those intended to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), heart medications, and narcotics, can cause moderate to severe problems if pets consume them. Keep bottle lids on tightly, be careful not to drop medications on the floor, and never give human drugs (or other medication) to your pet unless it has been prescribed by your veterinarian.
7. Tiki Torch Fuel and Other Petroleum Products
Not surprisingly, if pets ingest the petroleum-based fluid used to keep tiki torches lit, it can cause issues ranging from drooling and gagging to coughing, difficulty or rapid breathing, and drunken walking in both cats and dogs. Some of these products also contain antifreeze, which makes them more toxic and possibly life-threatening. Other petroleum products like kerosene, propane, gasoline, and diesel fuels can cause mouth, throat, and stomach irritation if pets ingest them and red, irritated skin if pets come in contact with them. If a lot is consumed, pets may vomit, have diarrhea, and can develop neurologic signs, such as seizures, coma, incoordination, and muscle tremors; ingestion of these products can be deadly. Do not try to induce vomiting because this can worsen the problem. Call us right away if you know or suspect that your pet has consumed any of these fluids.
8. Antifreeze and Windshield Washer Fluid
Speaking of antifreeze, products with ethylene glycol (which also includes windshield washer fluid) can be quite dangerous if dogs or cats consume even a small amount. Just a teaspoon in a cat or a tablespoon in a dog can lead to kidney failure.
9. Bird Feed
A hidden danger in plain sight in many yards, bird food can get moldy or grow fungus that can be toxic to pets. It can also cause an upset stomach and a potentially lethal obstruction hazard in a pet’s GI tract, especially if large amounts are consumed. In some cases, the seeds could ferment in the stomach, potentially leading to bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) in dogs. If your pet eats birdseed from off the ground and ingests bird droppings along with it, the feces or any parasites in it (such as Salmonella) can also make your pet sick.
If your pet has gotten into something dangerous and our Jacksonville vet clinics aren’t open, call the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 (a fee may be charged).
Key Takeaways From Your Jacksonville Vet
In your home, keep potentially dangerous items properly contained and far out of reach of your pet or in an area where your pet doesn’t have access. The same advice goes for any products stored in your garage, shed, or outside. Feel free to ask us if you have any concerns or questions about using certain household or yard products.
