Toxic Foods and Chemicals

One of the most important things any first-time pet owner should know is that a number of common household foods and items can be extremely dangerous for pets, so take care to keep these items either far away or locked up so that they don't pose a threat to your pet's health.

Most people know that chocolate is poisonous for our pets. It's actually the theobromine in the cocoa that's poisonous, and baker's chocolate is especially dangerous for your pet because of its high concentration of cocoa. If you really want your pet to enjoy the taste of chocolate, white chocolate has almost no cocoa, so it isn't as dangerous, but it's still best to keep that Snickers bar to yourself.

Here's a list of other common household items that are toxic to your pets:

 -antifreeze
-alcoholic beverages
-avocado

-chocolate

-coffee
-fatty foods
-macadamia nuts
-moldy or spoiled foods
-onions and onion powder
-raisins and grapes
-salt
-yeast dough
-garlic
-sweetened products with xylitol 

Some plants are dangerous as well: oleander flowers are very toxic for dogs and cats if ingested. Poinsettias are also toxic, but they must be eaten in bushels to be serious; still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Acetaminophen-a chemical found in many over-the-counter aspirins-is great for our headaches, but any form of it can kill a cat. Liquid potpourri, which keeps houses smelling fresh and clean can also be fatal for cats and is very serious for dogs as well.

A word to the wise: any chemical that is strong enough to clean is probably strong enough to kill, so play it safe and keep these products out of your pets' reach. 

Article by Dr. Jeff Werber, DVM