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Your home should be a place of comfort and safety for your family– including your furry family members. Unfortunately, many common household items can pose a danger to the furry members of your family. To prevent a pet poisoning, it’s important to keep certain food, chemicals, and other items out of reach from your dog or cat. 

What hazardous items do you need to be on the lookout for? The team at Ten West Bird & Animal Hospital has put together this helpful list of toxic household items to watch out for to keep your pets safe. 

March is a really important month for veterinary professionals and pet owners alike. Why? Because it’s Pet Poison Prevention Month! 

It might seem over-the-top to designate an entire month to raise awareness about this issue, but accidental exposure to harmful chemicals, toxic plants, dangerous foods, and human medications can place a pet in the crosshairs. 

Always Sniffing

Although their keen hearing and vision are important, pets primarily explore their environments with their senses of smell and taste. As a result, pet poison prevention should be a top priority in and around the home. Be sure to secure known toxins behind closed doors or in locked cabinets, and check floors and easily accessible surfaces on a daily basis.

Xylitol looks just like white, granular table sugar, but with fewer calories, it’s a great alternative for some people. Popular with dentists, diabetics, and healthy trendsetters, this sugar substitute can be used in recipes and drinks just like regular sugar. What’s more, this plant alcohol derivative actually has many health benefits for humans.

However, while all this sounds great for us, xylitol can be extremely dangerous to dogs. Fortunately, all it takes is a little knowledge and awareness to keep your furry companion out of trouble and avoid a potentially deadly pet poisoning situation.