Top 10 household items poisonous to pets
- Human medications including painkillers, cold medicine, dietary supplements and antidepressants.
- Insecticides, especially misuse of flea and tick products (such as applying a product to a cat when it was meant for a dog)
- People food such as chocolate, avocado, raisins and grapes and products containing the sweetener xylitol (often found in gum)
- Plants including lilies (very toxic to cats), azalea, rhododendron and sago palm
- Veterinary medications that are improperly dispensed or misapplied. Antibiotics, de-wormers, anti-inflammatory drugs and others can cause problems if misused.
- Rodenticides that use bait to attract rats and mice can be attractive to pets too, and can cause seizures, bleeding or kidney damage.
- Household cleaners such as detergents, bleaches and disinfectants can cause problems if inhaled by pets.
- Heavy metals, especially lead, which is in paint chips, linoleum and consumer products.
- Garden products, especially certain types of fertilizer
- Chemical hazards found in products such as antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and pool chemicals