UK's Most Common Pet Poisons Revealed

We did a post about poison not so long ago, but something in the Vet Times caught our attention this week.

Believe it or not, there is a Veterinary Poisons Information Service. Every year they produce a report that breaks down all the enquiries they’ve had from concerned pet owners worried about potential poisoning.

We want to share this information with you so that we can all look out for our pets even more effectively.

Dogs

Most calls concerned dogs. The most common questions were calling about were ibuprofen, chocolate and rodent poison. There were also reports of deaths from caffeine/fat burning weight loss supplements and products that enhance concentration and alertness.

For a lot of dogs, everything is a snack! So please be careful where you leave your chocolate snacks and any supplements or medication in your home.

Jellyfish, less of a problem in London obviously, were a surprising addition to the normal list of problem causers with the poison line receiving more calls about stings than ever before! So, if you are taking your dog away with you for a summer holiday, make sure they are paddling somewhere that hasn’t had a report of jellyfish. Jellyfish stings range from the uncomfortable to the deadly, so it’s definitely something to be aware of.

Cats

Most lilies are seriously bad news for cats. All parts of these plants are toxic to felines and affected cats go into acute kidney failure very, very quickly. Once this has happened, treatment is rarely effective. So please ban them from your house, let it be known that they are a flower you'd rather not receive and don't grow them!

Anti-freeze is very tempting to cats because of its sweet taste. Unfortunately, it's also deadly. The other toxin that shows up frequently is permethrin. This comes up time and time again, worldwide and you'll find it in many cheaper/older flea treatments.

Beware the bargain supermarket flea treatment.

These treatments are typically not effective against and they contain a drug, permethrin, that is highly toxic to cats in small overdoses. Because they aren't very effective, they don't tend fix a flea problem, so then owners are often tempted to apply a second, or even third dose, increasing the amount of permethrin on their cat, which can be fatal. Our advice is to avoid these products and instead buy a good quality/safe flea treatment. You can pick one up from Reception at Roundwood Vets today.

Rabbits

For rabbits, rodent poison was the most common problem, followed by chocolate. Human chocolate is not good for animals!

Don't let your pet become one of these tragic cases. Keep an eye on the products you're using in your home and even on your pet.

If you have any concerns, you can contact us today on 020 8459 4729 or check the Animal Poison Line site at https://www.animalpoisonline.co.uk/