Household Hazards

Household Hazards
And Other Helpful Hints

If you need to induce vomiting, first make sure that it's appropriate to do so. Don't induce vomiting

More than two hours after ingesting problematic substance

When the substance is an acid, alkali, solvent, or petroleum product, as it will do as much damage on the way up as it did the way down

When dog is comatose or very depressed.

To induce vomiting:

1-teaspoon hydrogen peroxide per 30lbs body weight; give once, repeat after ten minutes; don’t administer more than three times; some dogs will drool and look miserable before vomiting.

1 - teaspoon syrup of Ipecac per 10lbs body weight; works quickly

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt placed far back on the tongue or dissolved in I oz water, do not repeat dosage; dry mustard powder (same instructions) may be substituted

Local Poison Control Centers

Check the emergency room of the local hospital and ask for the number of the local Poison Control Center. You should have this number up on the refrigerator alongside the vet's number and the emergency care number.

National Animal Poison Control Center

The National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) provides a 24-hour emergency hotline that every dog owner should keep in plain sight. The hotline numbers are (800) 548-2423 and (900) 680-0000. The (800) number requires a credit card number and charges a flat $30; the (900) number is $2.95 per minute for a maximum of $30.

The NAPCC is a non-profit service of the University of Illinois and is the first animal-oriented poison center in the United States. Since 1978, It has provided advice to animal owners and conferred with veterinarians about poisoning exposures. The NAPCC's phones are answered by licensed veterinarians and board-certified veterinary toxicologists. They have specialized information that lets the experienced NAPCC staff make specific recommendations for your animals; plus over 250,000 records are in their database.

When you call, be ready to provide:

Your name, address, and phone number;

If calling the 800 number, your credit card number,

The species, breed, age, sex, weight, and number of animals involved;

The poison your animals have been exposed to, if known;

Information concerning the poisoning (the amount of poison, the time since exposure, etc.);

And: The problems your animals are experiencing.

Household products and plants are the most common culprits in poisoning cases. In the case of poisoning from household products, many companies cover the costs the pet owners Incur when it has been determined that their product is responsible for the reaction.

For further information, write to: The American Humane Association, 63 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, CO 80112-5117, or call (303) 792-9900.

Foods

Chocolate, tea, coffee, cola:

It Is not chocolate Itself that Is poisonous to dogs, It is the Theobromine, a naturally occurring compound found In chocolate. Thobromine causes different reactions to different dogs: dogs with health problems, especially epilepsy, are mom affected by Theobromine than healthy dogs. Theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures in dogs prone to or at risk of epilepsy. The size of the dog will also be a major factor the smaller the dog, the more affected it is by the same amount than a larger dog. Therefore, toxicity is described on a mg/Kg basis.

Furthermore, Theobromine can cause cardiac irregularity, especially If the dog becomes excited. Cardiac Arrhythmia can precipitate a myocardial infarct which can kill the dog.

Theobromine also irritates the GI tract and in some dogs can cause internal bleeding which In some cases kills them a day or so later.

Theobromine is also present in differing amounts in different kinds of chocolate. Milk chocolate has 44-66 mg/oz, dark chocolate 450 mg/oz and baking/bitter chocolate or cocoa powder varies as much as 150-600 mg/oz. How much chocolate a dog can survive depends on its weight (and other unknown circumstances). Under 200 mg Theobromine per kg body weight no deaths have been observed.

Theobromine will stay in the bloodstream between 14 and 20 hours. It goes back into the bloodstream through the stomach lining and takes a long time for the liver to filter out.

Within two hours of ingestion, try inducing vomiting unless your dog is markedly stimulated, comatose, or has lost the gag reflex. If your dog has eaten a considerable amount of chocolate, or displays any of the above symptoms, take it to the vet without delay.

In the absence of major symptoms, administer activated charcoal. The unabsorbed Theobromine will chemically bond to this and be eliminated in the feces. In pinch, burnt (as in thoroughly burnt crumbling in hand) toast will do.

Nuts:

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs and should be avoided. Many nuts are not good for dogs in general, their high phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones.

Misc:

Onions, especially raw onions, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J Ettinger, D.V.M. and Edward C. Freidman, D.V.M.'s book: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 2 pg 1884.)

Potato poisonings among people and dogs have occurred. Solarium alkaloids can be found in in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occurs when the tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively ram occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the metabolites are quickly eliminated. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs, actually quite nutritious and digestible.

Turkey skin is currently thought to cause acute pancreatis in dogs.

Poisonous houseplants

In assessing the risk to your dog from these plants, you need to consider both the age of your dog and It's propensity to chew on plants. Many of the below toxic plants rarely cause problems because most dogs don't chew them -- the exceptions being, of course, young puppies who are inclined to explore the world with their mouths, teething dogs who may chew on everything, and older dogs that are simply fond of chewing. Oleander, for example, Is rather toxic, but most cases of poisoning involve 1) cattle, other grazing livestock 2) puppies and 3) human babies/toddlers.

Dumb cane is probably the one plant that should always be kept out of reach, since it takes only one nibble to have a potentially fatal situation. (from Carlson and Giffin.)

That give rash after contact with the skin or mouth: (mums might produce dermatitis)

chrysanthemum	poinsettia	creeping fig
weeping fig	spider mum	pot mum

Irritating (toxic oxalates), especially the mouth gets swollen; tongue pain; sore lips; some swell so quickly a tracheotomy is needed before asphyxiation:

arrowhead vine	majesty	boston ivy
neththytis ivy	colodium	pathos
emerald duke	red princess	heart leaf (philodendron)
split leaf (phil.)	saddle leaf (phil.)	marble queen

Toxic plants -- may contain wide variety of poisons. Most cause vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps. Some cause tremors, heart and respiratory and/or kidney problems, which are difficult for owner to interpret:

amaryllis	elephant ears	pot mum
asparagus fern	glocal ivy	ripple ivy
azalea	heart ivy	spider mum
bird of paradise	ivy	sprangeri fern
creeping Charles	jerusalem cherry	umbrella plant
crown of thorns	crown of thorns

Poisonous outdoor plants

(from Carlson and Giffin.)

Produce vomiting and diarrhea in some cases:

delphinium	poke weed	indian tobacco
daffodil	bittersweet woody	wisteria
castor bean	ground cherry	soap berry
indian turnip	fox glove	skunk cabbage
larkspur

May produce vomiting, abdominal pain, and in some cases diarrhea

horse chestnut buckeye	western yew	apricot, almond
rain tree monkey pod	english holly	peach, cherry
privet	wild cherry	mock orange
japanese plum	american yew	bird of paradise
balsam pear	english yew	black locust

Varied toxic effect

rhubarb	buttercup	moonseed
spinach	nightshade	may apple
sunburned potatoes	poison hemolock	dutchman's breeches
tomato vine	jimson weed	mescal bean
loco weed	pig weed	angel's trumpet
lupine	water hemlock	jasmine
dologeton	mushrooms	matrimony vine
dumb cane

Hallucinogens

marijuana	periwinkle	morning glory
peyote	nutmeg	loco weed

Convulsions

china berry	nux vomica	coriaria
water hemlock	moon weed

Poisonous animals

Bufo toads. Found in various areas, especially in south Florida. Very poisonous -- it can kill a small dog in a matter of minutes. It bums the mucous membrane, of the mouth (gums) which is why they drool and foam, and that's also how it enters the bloodstream. It kills by elevating the heart rate and blood pressure to deadly levels, similar to the effects of chocolate. There is an antidote and the effects can be lessened if you immediately flush the dog's mouth with water before taking it to the vet.

Removing Odors and Stains.

Removing urine

For fresh urine: clean the spot with any good carpet shampoo (Spot Shot Is one). Then soak it with plain old club soda, leave it for about ten minutes and blot It up.

If the urine has soaked the pad and the floor below that, It will be difficult to remove the odor regardless of what you use.

To find spots if you're not sure where they are, get a UV lamp that has the filter built in (to eliminate any remnant visible light). Urine fluoresces In "black light." You can get them at hardware stores. There are also UV lamps in hobby stores and places that cater to spelunkers and rock hounds, but they are more expensive. The UV source is safe as long as you use the long wave lamp and not the short-wave lamp used for tanning.

Enzymatic products Products that remove odors: Nature's Miracle (carpet, has 800 number on bottle); Simple Solution (carpet and other items); Outright! (carpet, 214-438-0397); Resolve (carpet, perhaps other items); Odor Mute (originally for de-skunking dogs, has other applications, leaves white residue, works on concrete, 507-642-8529). Odor Abolish, by Endosome Biologicals, may also be useful. These products use enzymes to break down the odor causing compounds in urine and feces, and are quite effective. From: dwm@pruxi.att.com (Doug Monroe) When using enzymatic products, it is important to use freshly diluted enzymes, let It soak in as deeply as the urine has penetrated, and *keep the area warm and wet for 24 hours*. Chemical reactions, including enzymatic reactions, go faster at higher temperatures. Unfortunately. most enzymatic reactions don't do well much over 102F (38-39C)so not TOO hot. Try covering the area with towels soaked In plain water after applying the enzyme, then a shower curtain or other plastic over that to make sure the area stays moist. The enzymes in laundry products are reportedly the same as those in the expensive odor-killing products, but they cost less than 1/3 as much. They work just as well. Biz is one product. You'll find it in your grocery laundry section with the presoak laundry stuff. Remember, you have to SOAK the area and then cover it to keep it from drying out. The smelly area must be WET With the enzyme for 24 hours or more.,

Launderable items

On launderable items: put in the washing machine with a cup of vinegar and no detergent, then wash again as usual.

Concrete

If you have concrete (e.g., in the basement) into which urine has been soaked, this can be difficult to remove, as unsealed concrete is very porous. You will have to neutralize the urine and then seal the concrete properly. A specialty cleaning service is probably the best way to properly neutralize the urine in the concrete. Vinegars and other cleaners may help, but only temporarily. Odor Mute is reputed to work on concrete. Improving the ventilation may also help. In extreme cases, pouring another 1/4-1/2 inch layer of concrete over the original concrete will solve the problem.

Hardwood floors

Hardwood floors that have been stained with urine can be difficult to clean. First treat with an enzyme-based product such as Nature's Miracle to remove the odor. You can find wood bleaches and stains at your hardware store: you may want to consult with one of the employees on what Is available. You will need to remove any varnish or polyurethane from the area, sand It down a bit, bleach and/or stain ft. and then apply the protective coat. There are also professional companies you can consult. In severely stained cases, you may have to replace the wood.

Yard

For your yard, gypsum is supposed to help lawns cope with urine. This Is found In Jerry Bakees Plants are Still like People.

Skunks

Some dogs just seem to like to tangle with skunks. Others only encounter one once or twice In their lives. Either way, there are some techniques for dealing with a skunked dog.

The important thing is to get the skunk oil off a quickly as possible and don't let the dog spread the oil around. Also, the skunk smell seems to be easier to get rid of the sooner the dog is washed.

To get rid of the smell -- try vinegar diluted with water. Douches work (they contain vinegar), the perfumes may irritate some dogs' skin. Massengill in particular is often highly recommended. Soap the skunked areas, then apply the vinegar -- let it sit a little while, and then soap again. Don't get the vinegar in the dog's eyes. Try also: diluted lemon juice and a dishwashing detergent (Dawn is generally recommended) to cut the grease.

There is a product available called SKUNK OFF. If your dog's been thoroughly sprayed, don't expect to get all the smell out with a bath but what smell is left will go away faster.

A formula that is supposed to work very well is:

1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup baking sods

1 teaspoon liquid dish soap

Mix the three ingredients together and use immediately. The chemical reaction lasts only a limited time. Rinse your pet well with water, and don't let the solution soak for more than a few minutes.

Saliva

The watery, tasteless liquid mixture of salivary and oral mucous gland secretions that lubricates chewed food, moistens oral walls, and contains enzymes that function in the pre-digestion of starches.

The enzymes are the potent operatives here that leave semi-permanent slime trails on clothes, ceilings, walls, and table tops, depending on your breed. Removal of high-powered slobber, especially from polyesters and blends, can be a problem. For washable fabrics, the cheapest pre-wash treatment is Accent meat tenderizer liberally sprinkled on the slobber spots (wet the spots or whole garment before applying the Accent). Let it soak for a few minutes, then wash as usual with laundry detergent.