Dogs are very curious animals and as omnivores and natural scavengers, can get into and eat just about anything. However, there are many toxic substances found in your home that could potentially kill your dog. The following is a list of 4 common household substances that you should make sure to keep out of your dog’s reach. Follow these steps and you won’t compromise on dog health care.
1) Antifreeze: Something like antifreeze can kill pets quickly and painfully. It smells and tastes very sweet to your dog and is very appealing to him. The core ingredient of antifreeze is ethylene glycol and this is very dangerous. Symptoms of toxicity include seizures, vomiting, stumbling and lethargy leading to kidney failure. So, to prevent this, simply keep antifreeze far away from your dog. If your dog does end up ingesting some antifreeze, call the vet immediately.
2) Chocolate: Dark chocolate is a prime example of something very dangerous to dogs. While it usually takes a somewhat large amount of chocolate to kill a dog, poisoning and death do occur with smaller amounts ingested. Chocolate poisoning has horrific symptoms for dogs, including frequent urination and hyper-activity. Your dog might even suffer seizures and it can raise the heartbeat. If you think your dog might have just eaten some chocolate, visit the vet promptly. Chocolate is bad for your dog’s health.
3) Bleach: As you might imagine, household bleach is toxic to dogs. All bleach-related products are to be kept high up out of a dog’s reach. Bleach-related symptoms include drooling and vomiting. It is an owner’s common instinct to try and make the dog be sick to get rid of the product it has eaten, but doing this can be fatal for your pooch, so please don’t try it. Remember that by doing these simple things, your dog health care routine stays in check.
4) Mouthwash: Again, something else that is found in the home and can prove fatal is mouthwash. Mouthwash poisoning can even send your dog into a coma, which is a heartbreaking thought. Just like with the other household products, a dog that’s drunk mouthwash should be taken to see the vet.
With diligence on our part, we can help prevent our dogs from getting into substances that are toxic to them. Making sure your dog has a lovely conditioned coat is important, as is showering it with love, but this isn’t a good dog health care routine if your pet ends up dying from ingesting a toxic substance. As long as you stay vigilant, you shouldn’t need to visit the vet with a sick dog that has just ingested something toxic.
Submitted by Guest Writer
