At Bark Avenue Daycamp, we not only want to be your go-to place for dog grooming, dog training, dog boarding, and doggie day camp, but we also want to keep our clients informed about how to keep their dogs safe at home. There are many everyday household items that can pose a serious risk to your pet’s health.
In 1961, Congress established the third full week in March as “National Poison Prevention Week” to raise awareness, reduce unintentional poisonings, and promote poison prevention. And according to the AAHA, the entire month of March is National Pet Poison Prevention Month. We all know to childproof our homes to keep children safe, but what about “pet proofing” our homes too? There are many edible and non-edible dangers for your dog lurking in or around your home. Knowing about these dangers can make your home a safer place for your furry family members.
Some food and drink items that we humans consider tasty may be items that are dangerous for your pet. As tempting as it might be to share your food or drink with your four-legged friend, please resist! Some of the more hazardous items include alcohol, fruit seeds, and pits, Xylitol in sugar-free items, chocolate, caffeine (found in coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks), macadamia nuts, grapes, and raisins, coffee, garlic and onions, moldy foods, and hops. During dog training, we work on commands to ensure our dogs know when to “Leave it” or “No” but when you are not home or not in the same room as your pup certain items can be tempting due to their smell, feel, or texture.
We should also be careful with human medications. Common medicines like decongestants, NSAIDs (ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, acetaminophen or Tylenol), stimulant medications (e.g., for ADD/ADHD) antidepressants, anti-seizure medications and Vitamins like iron and vitamin D, are all dangerous to dogs.
Non-edible dangers include things like household chemicals and cleaners, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, de-icing salts, antifreeze, mothballs, fabric softener sheets, and mouse and rat poisons, and various plants and flowers (azalea, oleander, lilies, daffodils, to name a few).
For a full list of edible and non-edible dangers for your dog, see the FDA’s website article on “Potentially Dangerous Items for Your Pet”.
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435. (A consultation fee may apply).
Bark Avenue Daycamp offers dog training, dog grooming, and kennel boarding to take care of your dog or puppy when you need it. Keeping your pet safe is always top of mind for us! If you live in Bartlett, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Elgin, or Schaumburg and are looking for dog care near me or dog trainers near me, call us at (630) 289-8470 or contact us online.
