Tip: Top 10 Household Hazards for Pets

(I'm playing around with colors).

I'm sure you're doing a great job of keeping your pets safe at home but we can all be more vigilant. So here are the top 10 hazards that can be found in your house or every place else, that can seriously harm your pets. This list is brought to you by the ASPCA/APCC. Last year, the APCC answered more than 116,000 calls, significantly more than the year before. In response, they have released this very helpful list for you.

1. Human medications
From over-the-counter pain relievers to prescription drugs, human medications are the most common cause of poisoning in dogs and cats. *I can tell you from experience that whenever I take my medications, especially my before bed ones, my cat is so interested in all of those colored pills and usually takes to playing with them, knocking them off the bed or sniffing/licking them, which I discipline him for. So be careful!* Just one extra-strength acetaminophen can be deadly to a cat, and just 4 regular-strength ibuprofens can lead to serious kidney problems in a 10-pound dog! Dr. Steven Hansen, a veterinary toxicologist with the ASPCA, suggests storing medications in a secure cabinet out of the animal's reach and watch your pets closely when you have your medications out in the open. For example, don't leave pills out on the counter and walk away - your cat could jump up there, grab the pills and then they are long gone in his/her system and now you need to rush to the vet.

2. Insecticides
In one recent year, the APCC handled more than 27,000 calls reporting problems involving flea & tick products, clearly demonstrating the toxicity of these products. Wherever possible, avoid the use of chemical-laden flea & tick killers in favor of a holistic approach to pest control through diet,, supplements, grooming and natural flea products. *There are many alternative methods that work really well from introducing garlic into your pet's diet to using less toxic forms of medication. An example is of my cat - growing up with cats we always gave them Advantage because they were indoor/outdoor cats and really needed it (and we didn't have alternatives back then). When my cat was old enough to get flea treatments, the first time I used Advantage on him, he because very ill and had an allergic reaction from the chemicals in the treatment. I learned that it makes sense, since Advantage is applied directly to the skin of the animal, rather than ingested, etc. So I switched him to Program, which is a once-a-month packet of liquid that you give to your dog or cat to control the flea cycle by mixing the fluid into their food. It's basically like flea birth control and it gets rid of the fleas that way. It's great, he never had a reaction from it and it always worked well. When I moved home to Alameda with Kineivel, I discovered that on the island that I live on, there isn't really a flea problem here at all anymore and because my cat never goes outside beyond our courtyard and therefore, has no contact with other cats or stray animals and therefore doesn't' have contact with fleas. So just this year, I stopped the Program and didn't' give him anything for flea control. Never got one flea problem, even during flea season. I also give him treats occasionally which have a natural flea control ingredient in them, like garlic and other natural forms of control just as an occasional backup, when he's spending a lot of time outside in the courtyard and when he goes to other places, like up to Tahoe or up to Oregon. I would highly recommend switching from your prescription flea products and especially those awful flea & tick collars - those things are so incredibly toxic - the active ingredient works by going into the skin and will go into your system just by you touching the collar. Scary stuff!

3. Veterinary medications
The poison center has seen a whopping 93% increase in cases involving vet medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, antibiotics and vaccines. Minimize use of these drugs by consulting a holistic vet about alternative treatments and therapies. *I recommend researching the neighborhood where you live and if your neighborhood/city DOES NOT have a high feral/stray cat population, and your cat doesn't go outside or doesn't have contact with any other cats outside, you can get away with just giving your cat the 3-year rabies vaccine. This is another thing my cat is really allergic to - with any vaccine, he gets really sick for a 24 hour period after the vaccine is given. I have to give him a tiny dose of Benedryl to help his system to feel better faster. He is just miserable afterwards, poor guy. So I don't allow any other vaccines for his benefit. Talk to your vet, they should be flexible with giving vaccinations. Tell them your concerns. Plus it is being discovered that vaccines in animals may be a cause of cancer, especially in dogs and cats. Cancers many times form at the injection site and spread from there. *

4. Plants
Houseplants may look good, but many are highly toxic, including common varieties like azalea & rhododendron. Lilies, for example, are highly toxic to cats. Even ingested in small amounts, they can produce life-threatening kidney failure. Keep houseplants out of animal's reach (especially if your pet has a tendency to chew on things!) and provide safe alternatives like barley grass or catnip for cats.

5. Rodenticides
As pet food recalls tragically have shown, rat poisons and similar toxins can lead to potentially life-threatening situations for dogs and cats, including seizure or kidney damage. Consider safer, more humane ways of getting rid of rodents, such as live traps. Just as parents baby-proof a home, why not proactively pet-proof both home and property?

6. Household cleaners
Bleaches, detergents and disinfectants are just some of the household cleaners that can harm furry, four-footed and other companions. Store all cleaners in a secure spot; better yet, switch to nontoxic, green alternatives.

7. Chocolate
Don't share this tasty treat with animals!!! Chocolate contains caffeine-like substances known as methylxanthines, which can cause abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death in animals, especially dogs. Typically, the darker the chocolate, the greater the potential for poisoning - makes sense to me.

8. Chemical hazards
This group encompasses antifreeze, drain cleaners, pool and spa chemicals and many others. These substances can cause a variety of problems, ranging from gastrointestinal upset & depression to respiratory difficulties and chemical burns.

9. Physical hazards
Be alert for objects that could cause choking, intestinal obstruction or other injury. Dr Hansen has managed cases involving the ingestion of several common objects - from pet collars and adhesive tape to bones, paper products and similar items. It is important to make sure that items that could be easily knocked over, broken, chewed up or swallowed are kept out of the reach of curious pets.

10. Home Improvement Products
The APCC has dealt with thousands of cases involving paint, solvents, expanding glues and other products used in construction and renovation. Dr. Hansen advises pet parents to keep animals out of areas where home improvement projects are taking place to avoid ingestion of hazardous materials.

For more information, visit: www.ASPCA.org/APCC