10 Household Things That Could Harm / Kill Your Dog – 3rd Edition

Colorado’s Pooper Scooper Service Duty Free Pets in an ongoing effort to help the safety of your fur kids will be posting “10 Household Things That Could Harm / Kill Your Dog.” Please tell friends that you know to follow this discussion. Often there will be things that you knew however, you’re sure to find ones that you don’t.

Please join the discussion and let others know your personal experience with the subject as you might help save a dogs life. There is a place on the Duty Free Pets Facebook page to continue the subject and share pictures of your fur friends. Duty Free Pets Pooper Scooper Service is a professional Colorado pooper scooper / dog poop removal company. Our goal is to create a healthy and safe environment for you and your fur friends.

10 Household Things That Could Harm / Kill Your Dog

Tobacco Products1 – Tobacco Products

Long known to be a carcinogen with severe heath effects on humans, tobacco products / nicotine is even more deadly for our furry ones.  Nicotine is a poisonous alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant. Nicotine is found in a variety of sources, cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalers, nicotine patches & nicotine nasal sprays.

Some pets are attracted to the products like chewing tobacco that are supplemented with flavors such as honey, molasses, syrups and other sugars.

The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. In dogs, 10 mg/kg is potentially lethal.  A small dog would only need to consume 2-4 cigarettes for poisoning to occur.   (learn more here)

  • One Cigarette = 15-25 mg
  • Nicotine Patches = 8-118 mg
  • Nicotine Gum = 2-4 mg
  • Cigar = 15-40 mg
  • Chewing Tobacco 6-8 mg per gram

2 – Ice Melt Products

Ice Melting Products Boulder Colorado Pooper ScooperPlease, if you or your neighbors have dogs or cats only use ice melt products that are pet safe! Ice melt often contains odium chloride or calcium chloride.  Both may cause severe skin and gastrointestinal tract irritation, depending on the concentration and circumstances of exposure.  If you are unsure if your dogs has stepping in non pet friendly ice melt keep them from licking the exposed areas and wipe their paws thoroughly.  Remember to keep your dog from drinking from puddles too as they can contain high dosages of these products.  (learn more here)

3 – Fabric Softeners

Fabric Softeners Louisville Colorado Pooper Scooper ServiceMany fabric softeners contain too many toxins to list.  While most pets will not have an allergic or fatal reaction to clothes dried with fabric softeners keep them away from the detergent and dryer sheets.

Did you know that dryer sheets create toxic fumes when released with heat? Isn’t it hot in your dryer? Or that their inert ingredients can cause cancer, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, and lots of other chronic disorders? Probably not what you had in mind when you poured in the liquid softener or tossed that sheet into the dryer, is it? (alternatives to store bought fabric softener) Here are just a few of the ingredients in many store bought softeners.

  • Linalool – A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
  • Chloroform – Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
  • Ethyl Acetate – A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
  • Benzyl Acetate – Linked to pancreatic cancer
  • Benzyl Alcohol – Upper respiratory tract irritant
  • Ethanol – On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders

4 – Hot Tub & Pool

Hot Tubs and Pools Lafayette Colorado Pooper ScooperWould you allow your child to play in a pool unsupervised?  Pools and hot tubs are dangerous for dogs.  An estimated 5,000 family pets drown in backyard swimming pools annually. Many dogs when they unexpectedly find themselves in a pool or hot tub instinctively head for the nearest edge and tries to claw its way out.  The dog not able to get out panics and panic quickly leads to exhaustion. While animals can be trained to go the shallow end, or the steps, climbing to safety may be impossible for smaller animals.

Dogs + hot tubes = heat exhaustion. A dog’s temperature is naturally already higher than ours. The heat of the hot tub will cause a dangerous increase in temperature. Because the dog will be subjected to heat in the water, he won’t be able to cool off from the air.  The dogs body temperature will rise dangerously. Heat stroke and dehydration in dogs is requir immediate treatment. (learn more about heat exhaustion and treatments here)

Chemicals in a hot tub are pretty potent. Those will damage the skin and burn the eyes.    The untrained animal instinctively heads for the nearest edge of the pool and tries to claw its way out. Panic quickly leads to exhaustion. While animals can be trained to go the shallow end, or the steps, climbing to safety may be impossible for smaller animals.  Some puppies and dogs will also drink the treated water in your pool. Possible symptoms resulting from ingestion include upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting and mouth/tongue ulcers. Even small amounts could agitate your dog’s digestive system.

5 – Ibuprofen

Don’t ever give your dogs ibuprofen for pain relief. Dogs often accidentally consume the pain reliever by chewing up a bottle or accidentally swallowing dropped pills that the human does not pick up.  Dogs may begin to exhibit symptoms in as little as four hours or up to four or five days. The dog can develop stomach ulcers and bleeding with severe kidney ibuprofen dogs poison Erie Colorado Pooper Scooper Serviceimpairment.

Be on the look out for:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Stumbling
  • Disorientation
  • Seizures
  • Lethargy

If you notice these symptoms call a vet immediately.

6 – Space Heaters

Electric Space Heaters Duty Free Pets Longmont Pooper Scooper ServiceAn unattended space heater, if tipped over by a dog, can start house fires. An unattended space heater, if tipped over by a dog, can start massive house fires.   As with any electrical device, a secure electric connection is imperative with electric space heaters and dog house heaters. Fires can start if the cords are frayed, are not used with the proper outlet or get chewed up. This can also electrocute the pet. (more about these types of accidents here)

7 – Castor Bean

Castor beans (Ricinus communis) contain ricin. Ricin is a glycoprotein reported to cause hypotension, gastroenteritis, depression, and death.   Death or euthanasia occurred in 9% of castor bean ingestion reported to National Animal Poison Control.  The severity of clinical signs following castor bean ingestion may depend on whether the beans were chewed or swallowed whole. (learn more) 

Castor Bean Pet Waste Removal Boulder ColoradoCommon signs to watch for:

  • Inappetanc
  • Drooling
  • Abdominal pain
  • Vomiting
  • Severe bloody diarrhea
  • Abdominal straining
  • Weakness
  • Trembling
  • Hypotension (drop in blood pressure)
  • Sudden collapse
  • Death

8 – Bread Ties and Clips

Bread Twist Ties Boulder Pet Waste Reomval Dog PoopIf you know your dog has consumed these objects what ’em closely for monitor for such signs as vomiting, blood in stool,  stops eating & drinking, has trouble pooping, lethargy, straining or abdominal pain and consult your vet immediately if you do see such symptoms.

If you do not see these symptoms know that it will most likely pass through without problem.  However,  if your watch your dog swallow this it would wise to feed your dog a few slices of bread or some mashed potato in an attempt to cushion it on its passage through the bowels ’cause there is a chance that it might cause a bowel perforation.

9 – Frayed Rope (including toys)

Frayed Rope Dog Poop Removal Pet Waste Superior Colorado Duty Free PetsFrayed rope is not meant to be digested by dogs.  Their system cannot handle it.  It is common for vets to see blockages in dogs  intestine thus twist like an accordion caused from dogs ingesting frayed rope.  This is very painful and can lead to death or very costly vet bills.

Not only can string or strands of rope cause severe internal damage to a dog, they don’t show up on x-rays.  Often an ultra-sound must be performed.

10 – Fly Bait / Poison

Fly Poison Dog Poop Removal Lafayette COloradoIf you know your dog has ingested this poison within the past 120 minutes induce vomiting.  You can induce vomiting by forcing hydrogen peroxide down their throat. (click here for instructions) No matter how long it has been since your dog has ingested this take them to the vet immediately.  This is not a situation that can wait until the morning.

Please forward this on to your friends or share us on Facebook. We will continually ad 10 new items and try to help explain how by avoiding them your little fur kid can live a happy, safe, and long life.

DFP Pooper Scooper Service is a Colorado Company dedicated to helping provide you with the tools to help your fur friends live longer, safer, happier lives.