Sunday, July 20, 2008

Protecting your pets from poisonous household substances

Title: Protecting your pets from poisonous household substances
Author: Sivakorn Siricharoensataporn

Protecting your pets from poisonous household substances
It becomes our responsibility to take proper care for the
pets when we bring them into our house. The guidance and
help of veterans is a must to provide them a safe, loving
and healthy environment to live in. They are best possible
pals and become a part of our lives with growing years. But
on a sad note, there are a large number of pets that suffer
or even die every year due to poisonous substances present
within our households.

Here are few precautions that we should take to make our
home poison-free for our loving pets:

- Beware of the plants present in the house and in the
pet's yard. Ingestion of oleander, azalea, sago palm,
mistletoe, Easter lily and yew plant by a pet can prove to
be fatal sometimes.
- Never let your pets reach the area where you have stored
your cleansing agents of your house. These cleansing agents
have chemical properties that may cause some mild upsetting
in the stomach while some severe ones may even cause burns
in the tongue, stomach and mouth of the pets.
- If you are using mouse or rat baits, roach or ant traps,
slug or snail baits, place them in the areas that are not
accessible by your pets. Most of these baits contain inert
ingredients that are sweet smelling such as sugars, peanut
butter and jelly which can really attract your pet to eat.
- Never give any medication to your pet unless a qualified
veteran recommend.

Some people tend to use human drugs on pets but they must
understand that the medications that can be safely used on
humans can prove to be deadly for animals if used
improperly. For example, a 500 mg acetaminophen tablet can
really kill a 7 pound cat. Keep all the medicines and
prescription drugs out of the reach of your pets, possibly
in the closed cabinets.

Cold medicines, pain killers, anti-depressants, anti-cancer
drugs, diet pills and vitamins are the human medications
that can even kill a pet even if taken in small dosage. For
example, a 200 mg ibuprofen can be a cause of stomach ulcer
in a 10-pound dog.

Unattended chocolates can also be harmful for the pets as
even small amounts can be a cause of pancreatic problems in
animals. Some other household items that can be poisonous
for certain species of pets include pennies, mothballs,
fabric softening sheets, potpourri oils, dish detergents,
batteries, cigarettes, alcoholic drinks and coffee grounds.

All the automotive products like gasoline, oil and
anti-freeze should be kept away from pets. For example, a
tea-spoon of anti-freeze can kill a 7-pound cat and a table
spoon of it can be fatal for a 20 pounds dog. While
applying a house spray or a fogger in the home, remember to
remove all the pets from there.

While treating your garden or lawn with herbicides,
insecticides and fertilizers, keep the pets away until it
completely dries. Always take these points into
consideration and provide your pets a healthy environment
to live.

About the Author:

This is the pets lovers blog http://www.petsworldblog.com/
To see some tips for your favorite pets.

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