did you know that there are lots of powders liquids and other substances
around the house and garden that can easily kill your cat or dog our pets
will frequently come across these poisons unless special care is taken in
most cases it is much better that you use an alternative than risk an
emergency trip to your vet stick around to learn more about the top ten deadly
poisonous around the house and garden for our pets hi I'm dr. Alex Avery from
OurPetsHealth.com helping you and your pet to live healthier happier lives
now the two most common pet poisoning scenarios are a cat or a dog eating
human food that is actually toxic to them or coming across something around
the house or the garden that they really shouldn't have had access to and
becoming seriously unwell as a result let's start off outside before moving
indoors okay a number one is rat bait there are several different types with
the most common being a warfarin or a warfarin like poison rat bait is
designed to be tasty after all that's why rats and mice eat it in the first
place this means though that if your pet can smell it they're likely to try and
eat it strong packaging is no match for a determined dog and hiding it somewhere
pet inaccessible is ineffective too it can be moved by wildlife if you have
pets never use rat bait simple these poisons work by preventing the blood
from being able to clot causing our dogs and cats to effectively bleed to death
now this might be bleeding into the lungs and drowning bleeding into their
intestines or abdomen bleading into their joints or even bleeding under their skin
if they eat enough and without treatment they will die thankfully though there is
a very effective antidote but even this needs to be given for many weeks before
your pet can be considered fully recovered this is because the poison
stays in the body for many weeks there are other forms of rat bait that use a
high dose of vitamin D also known as cholecalciferol this causes blood levels
of calcium and phosphorus to become really high and this damages many parts
of the body with the kidneys being especially vulnerable
unfortunately by the time a cat or a dog is showing signs of poisoning the damage
to the kidneys is often so severe and permanent that even aggressive treatment
may not be enough to save their life there is also no specific antidote so if
you have any suspicions your pet may have eaten this type of rat poison or if
they get into your vitamin D supplements then it is essential they're seen by
their vet straight away number two is another
poison used to kill a common pest slug bait or more specifically metaldehyde
is very toxic to our pets and unfortunately it's also pretty tasty
this means that it's not unusual for our pets to seek out and eat really large
quantities and to make matters worse because slug bait is so toxic it would
only take a tiny 18 grams of a strong 5 percent formula to be potentially deadly
to a 20 pound or 9kg dog once eaten metaldehyde is very quickly absorbed the
problem starts about 1 to 3 hours later it causes a patient to shake and bake
they developed tremors which progressed to full seizure and body temperature
starts to climb to a really dangerous level now this high temperature is then
responsible for secondary organ failure and death without rapid treatment and
without aggressive treatment I said this with rat bait that if you have pets do
not use metaldehyde slug bait it is deadly now it's a hard choice to make
but I'd rate antifreeze or ethylene glycol as the worse poison on this list
not only does it take as little as a teaspoon to kill a cat and a tablespoon
to poison a small dog the initial signs actually seem to improve
leading to a false sense of security yet it is vital that treatment is started
within the first couple of hours or this poison is almost 100% fatal now to start
with and often within 30 minutes a cat or a dog may seem as though they've
drunk too much alcohol with incoordination
vomiting drooling and increased urination between 12 to about 24 hours
that seem to get better and may even become normal but inside their
kidneys will be shutting down this will show itself then as inapetence lethargy
depression vomiting seizures and coma and well by the time this stage is
reached death is inevitable even if aggressive treatment has started early
chance of success is very very slim when you are changing or topping up the
fluids in your car it's so important you don't spill any a cat who walks through a
small puddle of spillage would have enough soaked into their fur that they'll be
poisoned when they groom themselves antifreeze also tastes sweet so a dog
will quite happily lap up any puddle left behind lilies might be found in the
garden or in the house depending on where you live but regardless they can
be deadly for cats to start with this only applies to the true lily species of
the lilium or hemeroculis species lily of the valley can also be
deadly to both dogs and cats but we'll consider that in a minute
true Lily contains a poison in its leaves pollen and stem that causes a
cat's kidney to fail a cat can be poisoned by eating the plant the
poisoning can also take place if its coat gets contaminated with pollen and
this can happen just if a cat brushes up against a fresh bunch of flowers which
it eats then when it grooms as with all poisons so far rapid aggressive
treatment is important if we're to give them the best chance of making a
successful recovery dogs are not affected by the true lily but both dogs
and cats can be poisoned by lily of the valley
this plant is similar to the foxglove and affects the heart rather than the
kidneys it can cause a low heart rate and abnormal rhythm possible seizures
and can also be fatal now continuing indoors and at number five is a
surprisingly common but thankfully pretty harmless toxin glow sticks and
glow jewelry contain a chemical which is an intense irritant it is very bitter
and causes some pretty severe looking symptoms which include profuse drooling
gagging and retching because it's an irritant the mouth and the eyes may
sting and so your cat or a dog may become quite distressed and start pawing
their mouth and rubbing at their eyes thankfully though while your pet may
become quite agitated and the signs they show may be really alarming the actual
chemical is not very toxic and so they should recover uneventfully the next
poison in the house and at number six are household cleaners now this includes
many different types but the results can all be the same household cleaners
they've often very strong acids or alkaline liquids and are not only
irritant but can also be corrosive acids are generally bitter and result in a
fairly immediate pain when they come into contact with the gums or tongue now
this actually means that drinking large amounts is uncommon
despite this though there's still the potential for significant injury to
their eyes skin mouth intestines and lungs alkalis then cause a similar
problem but they are potentially much more dangerous and this is because they
are pretty tasteless and odorless which means that larger volumes are often
consumed this increases the risk then of severe intestinal ulceration with the
potential for perforation or rupture which is likely to be fatal as ever
prompt treatment is essential and this can be started at home by flushing the
affected area with copious amounts of water before seeking immediate
veterinary treatment okay at number seven is another major cat problem
permethrin is the most common pyrethrin or pyrethroid and it's found in some dog
flea and tick preventative medications while a massive overdose would be
harmful for dogs cats are exceptionally sensitive to these chemicals due to
their inability to break them down within the body
if these treatments are inappropriately applied to a cat then they will quickly
show signs of toxicity this most commonly results in nervous signs such
as tremors twitching incoordination weakness and seizures vomiting
excitability drooling and breathing difficulty can also be seen left
untreated poisoning can be fatal if the product is accidentally applied then it
should be washed off straightaway with soap
now a washing up liquid or dish soap is good for this it's also important
that the area's fully saturated and rinsed many many times as cats long hair
can make complete removal of any substance challenging its actually much
less common for cats to be poisoned by coming into contact with a dog who's
just been treated prevention is the safest plan though so if you have both
cats and dogs then I would advise that you either avoid using these products on
your dog or at least keep them confined for several hours while the product
dries if your pet is showing signs of toxicity despite having washed them
thoroughly or soon after you have treated your dog and you should take
them to your local vet clinic for treatment to ensure that a successful
recovery is made okay so at number eight we have paracetamol or acetaminophen
never give your cat's paracetamol not even a little bit not even if you think
they're in pain or have a fever cats are unable to break this down in
the same way that people and dogs do instead the liver breaks it down into a
toxic chemical and this results in severe liver damage
and also prevents the red blood cells from carrying oxygen and delivering it
around the body after consuming paracetamol you might notice that your
cat's gums turn blue or look like chocolate their breathing will become
rapid and they'll start to struggle to breathe they will become depressed and
their face and feet may also start to swell in size as the body continues to
struggle vomiting will start and the urine will
turn a dark brown unfortunately by the time a cat is showing severe signs of
poisoning the chance of recovery is minimal even with prompt treatment this
poisoning is generally fatal while cats are uniquely sensitive to paracetamol
dogs are not in a generally able to take acetaminophen without developing any
problems that said it should only be given as advised by your vet dogs are
not small people and an overdose can severely damage their liver given
appropriately though it is generally very safe aspirin and ibuprofen are our
other most common drug toxicity at number 9 again generally a result of
being given to our pets inappropriately by well-meaning owners now just like
paracetamol though our dogs and cats may also decide to chew on a packet left
lying around and so be poisoned this way both aspirin and ibuprofen are examples
of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs while this type of drug is
used to control pain in our pet population very commonly only specific
veterinary drugs should be given human types are simply not safe for either
dogs or cats and it is all too easy to result in a severe life-threatening
toxicity now having said that in very occasional and specific cases small
doses of aspirin may be given but if that's the case then they'll be
recommended by your vet and really tiny doses are given that are not pain
killing and not anti-inflammatory in any way intestinal signs of poisoning are
most often seen such as vomiting and diarrhea vomit may contain fresh
blood or the stools might be very dark and tar like due to ulceration and bleeding
within the stomach or guts any ulcers can also perforate causing fatal
peritonitis as if this weren't bad enough overdose can also lead to liver
failure kidney failure and seizures never give your cat or dog aspirin or
ibuprofen or any other non-steroidal you may have at home okay last but not least
at number 10 on our top 10 deadly poisons around the house
and garden for dogs and cats is any other medication you may have in the
home human or animal the most common reported ones are heart medication
antidepressants ADHD treatments cold and allergy medications and sleeping pills
it's also not unheard of for pets to seek out whatever medication they are
themselves on as many a designed to be palatable for those individuals which
really do view the medicine as treats there is a very real potential for them
to chew up the container and consume a whole month's worth of treatment given
half the chance I've certainly seen that in dogs eating all of their painkillers
in one go signs of poisoning really depend on what drug your pet has eaten by
now though you should be aware of what the most common symptoms of toxicity are
we've got vomiting diarrhea drooling weakness and depression being off their
food or a change in their gum color rapid breathing tremors twitching and
seizures in some cases a single tablet of a certain human medication can be
enough to result in toxicity this means that not only should you keep any
medication safely locked away when you are getting any out of containers it's
best if your pet is not in the same room so that if they should be dropped for
whatever reason then they can be found before your pet has a chance to eat
them so I hope this video helps to prevent your pet from becoming poisoned
by these deadly toxins make sure you also check out my video the top ten
deadly foods for dogs and cats if you have any questions or if there's
anything you'd like to see in future videos then please leave a comment down
below I've really love to hear from you also if it's your first time here
consider subscribing and hitting that Bell notification to make sure that you
don't miss out on future content and allow me to continue to help you and
your pet to live healthier happier lives so until next time i'm Dr. alex from
OurPetsHealth.com because they're family