Pets and Poisons - Keeping your Pet Safe
Some basic pointers to preventing poisoning
In The Home
In The Home
• Keep all poisons out of reach - preferably in a locked kitchen cupboard
• Keep human and veterinary medicines separate
• Never give animals medicines intended for human use - only medicines prescribed by your Minster veterinarian
• Some foods, for example chocolate, onions and grapes, can be toxic - do not allow animals access to foods intended for human consumption
• Restrict access to cleaning, DIY and car products (eg fuels, antifreeze and oils)
In The Garden or Open Spaces
• Keep human and veterinary medicines separate
• Never give animals medicines intended for human use - only medicines prescribed by your Minster veterinarian
• Some foods, for example chocolate, onions and grapes, can be toxic - do not allow animals access to foods intended for human consumption
• Restrict access to cleaning, DIY and car products (eg fuels, antifreeze and oils)
In The Garden or Open Spaces
• Prevent access to gardens where pesticides or fertilisers have recently been used, especially slug pellets and rodent baits. Access to such baits can be reduced by placing them in narrow tubes etc
• Keep pesticides/herbicides in a safe and inaccessible place - away from all pets
• Never leave buckets or watering cans full of mixed chemicals
• Do not allow animals to drink from ponds/puddles that appear oily or otherwise polluted
• Be careful not to leave plant bulbs lying around
What to do if you think your animal has been poisoned
• Please DO NOT PANIC - remember few cases have fatal consequences and few poisons act very rapidly
• Remove animal(s) from source of poison - protecting yourself if necessary
• Contact your Minster veterinarian IMMEDIATELY, especially if your animal is unwell and be ready to provide information on WHEN, WHERE and HOW poisoning occurred as well as the QUANTITY consumed
• If you are instructed to come to the practice, try to bring a sample of the poison and/or its packaging with you
• If your skin becomes contaminated then wash thoroughly with WATER
• DO NOT try to make the animal vomit - unless your Minster veterinarian instructs you to do so
• Keep pesticides/herbicides in a safe and inaccessible place - away from all pets
• Never leave buckets or watering cans full of mixed chemicals
• Do not allow animals to drink from ponds/puddles that appear oily or otherwise polluted
• Be careful not to leave plant bulbs lying around
What to do if you think your animal has been poisoned
• Please DO NOT PANIC - remember few cases have fatal consequences and few poisons act very rapidly
• Remove animal(s) from source of poison - protecting yourself if necessary
• Contact your Minster veterinarian IMMEDIATELY, especially if your animal is unwell and be ready to provide information on WHEN, WHERE and HOW poisoning occurred as well as the QUANTITY consumed
• If you are instructed to come to the practice, try to bring a sample of the poison and/or its packaging with you
• If your skin becomes contaminated then wash thoroughly with WATER
• DO NOT try to make the animal vomit - unless your Minster veterinarian instructs you to do so
This information has been taken from the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation leaflet "Pets and Poisons - keeping your animals safe" published in association with the Veterinary Poisons Information Service.
