sniffing out domestic dangers

Now that we’ve had time to chew through a primer on foreign body ingestions, let’s turn our attention to another toxic topic: accidental poisoning. Pets who ingest toxins may experience vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, stroke, kidney failure or worse. Depending on how ill the pet becomes, treatment for these emergencies can range from a few days on a bland diet to days spent in the vet hospital. As you can imagine, the costs for treatment vary as well: On average Petplan's reimbursement for poisoning has been an unappetizing $500, but one pet in dire need required more than $10,084 in treatment – enough to turn any pet parent's stomach.

how strong is your sniffer?

But how can you tell what’s poisonous to dogs? In a recent survey, Petplan quizzed 5,700 pet parents on their pet-poison awareness – the results were both encouraging and cause for concern.

The good news: 67% of pet parents knew about health hazards hiding in the kitchen. But at the other end of the scale, only 34% realized cocoa mulch was toxic for dogs, and at 16%, even fewer knew their dog should not chew tulip bulbs.

To help the facts click into place, and to share paw-tential dangers with two-legged family and friends, check out Petplan's Poison Awareness poster, “Pick Your Poison”(right), then follow us as we sniff out the potential pet poisons hidden in each room of your home.