92% of pets will have an emergency situation in their lifetime. One cause of these emergencies is household products. Your dog is a huge part of your family, and you do everything you can to protect them. The problem is you may have household products that you would never think of as being potentially harmful to your dog. Here are 12 household product dangers that can really harm your dog.
Caffeine
The caffeine in items such as coffee, tea and chocolate can cause seizures and can even kill your dog. Caffeine can cause hyperactivity, vomiting, elevated heart rate, seizures and even death.
Antifreeze
This is one of the most common reason behind small animal poisonings primarily due to its sweet taste and how common it is in many households. Just 1 tablespoon can cause kidney failure. It can also cause vomiting, sedation, lethargy, coma and death.
Medications
Many human medications can be harmful to your pet. Be sure to keep all medications, even over the counter ones, out of reach of your dog, and don't give your pet any medications without talking to your veterinarian.
Christmas decorations
Items like tinsel, gift wrapping ribbon can cause major issues if ingested as it will twist and bunch inside your dogs intestines. Common signs to watch for are pawing at the mouth, vomiting, lethargy, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea.
Batteries
Dogs love chewing on things, including batteries. Battery acid can cause chemical burns. Common signs to watch for are drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, abdonimal pain and fever.
De-icers
De-icers irritate your dog's paws, and they are poisonous if your dog ingests them. You can wash their paws when they come back in, or get them some doggie booties. Common signs to watch for are increased thirst and consumption of water with accompanying increased urine output, mental confusion, staggering gait, coma, seizures.
Glue
Some glues expand when ingested and also irritate the dogs intestines. Some glues, like Gorilla Glue® need to be surgically removed if ingested. Common signs to watch for are eEnlarged abdomen, bloated in appearance, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, anxiety, vomiting, hyperventilation, labored breathing, lethargy. If only very small amounts are ingested, an irritation of the gastrointestinal tract can occur, which may cause vomiting loss of appetite, and abdominal pain.
Toys
Toys that contain small parts are a choking hazard for dogs. Make sure when to picking out the perfect dog toy to check for those choking hazards.
Windshield Wiper Solution
This product contains methanol which can cause low blood sugar and drunken walking in dogs. Keep far away from your dog's drinking water.
Laundry Detergent
Laundry detergent can cause ulcers and even death in dogs. Be especially careful with pod type detergents, because they are very concentrated. Keep stored in areas where your dog cannot get into.
Rat Poison
Rat poison can be fatal to dogs. If you choose to use it, make sure your dog can't get to it. Keep it sealed in a pet proof container.
Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Dogs love to drink from the toilet, but if you use tablet toilet bowl cleaners the water is toxic to your dog. Make sure you keep the lid on the toilet.
These are just a few of the household items that can be harmful to your pet. Keep them out of reach, and keep your dog safe. With all of these items if you feel like your dog has come in contact with them always contact your vet.