Live Healthy Live Well

When your pet ingests a toxin, time can be of the essence. Immediately contacting the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 24-hour hotline (1-888-426-4435) will give you and your veterinarianan potentially life-saving information regarding the treatment of your loved one.

To protect your pet, we recommend that you follow these simple guidelines:

• Always follow instructions on the label of prescription medications.
• Never give your pet any of your prescription or over-the-counter                            medications unless explicitly instructed to do so by a veterinarian.
• Keep common household cleaning products safely stored away from pet access.
• Prevent access to the garbage by keeping a tight lid on all cans or store out of reach of your pets.
• Only have your home treated with chemicals that are nontoxic to pets.
• Seek emergency care if your pet has ingested a toxin.

During the holidays, there are other things that should be of special concern to our pets, Here are some of the things that might be “eye-catching” to your pet during the holiday season?

• Alcohol (including eggnog & punch)Bones (chicken & turkey)
• Car engines – outdoor cats seek warmth
• Christmas trees – cats climb and like ornaments & tinsel, strands of lights,      stagnant or fertilized tree water, pine needles
• Chocolate
• Confetti
• Electrical cords & wires
• Grapes & raisins
• Lighted candles
• Outdoor hazards – antifreeze, frostbite, frozen water bowl (outdoors), rock salt, sub-zero temperatures
• Plants – Christmas cactus, lilies, holly
• Ribbons, bows & giftwrap
• Rich foods
• Sugar-free desserts/gum (with Xylitol)
• Trash cans with discarded/moldy foods

Remember to always work in partnership with your family veterinarian.

Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.  –George Eliot

 Adapted by:  Janet Wasko Myers, Program Assistant, Horticulture, Ohio State University Extension, Clark County, myers.31@osu.edu

Reviewed by:  Kathy Green, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Clark County, green.1405@osu.edu

Sources:

Information is provided by The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center.  Contact The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center at:  http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/  (614) 292-3551, 24/7 Operating Center.

The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine at:  http://vet.osu.edu

Protect your Pet from Household Hazards at:  http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/owner-education/protect-your-pet-household-hazards

General Safety info pdf and HolidaySafetyHazards.pdf at the bottom of the page at:  http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/owner-education/protect-your-pet-household-hazards