Keeping Our Other “Babies” Safe, a guest blog by Julee Russo

For many, a dog is so much more than a pet. It’s a member of the family. I know ours is. We spend time loving her, taking her on walks and giving her treats. While we, and many others, spoil our dogs a bit, we might not realize that we could be literally killing them with our kindness through pet poisoning. Here are a few examples.

The Chocolate Factor:
Most people know that chocolate is poison for dogs — the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is. But do you know why? It’s because of theobromine. It’s a naturally occurring stimulant in the cocoa bean that increases urination and affects the heart muscle and the central nervous system. Baking chocolate is particularly bad for a dog. One-quarter ounce of baking chocolate can cause a 10-pound dog to suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, hyperactivity, seizures, increased heart rate and increased urination.

Storage Closet Dangers:
Think, where is your pet food right now? If it’s stored near cleaning supplies or household chemicals, please, please, please move it as soon as you can! You might be inadvertently poisoning your pet. Many household products (aerosols) can give off toxic vapors (aerosols) or can leak (liquids) and poison your dog food. Regardless of where you store your pets food (closet, garage, pantry, cabinet, etc) do not store it along with anything that has chemicals in it. Keep them separate at all times.

Seasoning With Onions and Garlic:
As crazy as it sounds, onions, onion powder and garlic are also harmful to your pets according to the ASPCA. Dogs that eat too many onions may suffer from hemolytic anemia. This is a condition that destroys red blood cells, and they are removed from the dog’s blood stream before their natural lifespan is complete. It’s all right to offer your pet meat cooked in onions, but avoid offering whole onions or broth from meat cooked in large quantities of onions. Garlic can break down red blood cells, also. Garlic is high in sulfur. If it is given to a dog for a long period of time, it can result in severe bleeding and anemic reactions.

Holiday Threats:
Holiday treats might as well be called holiday threats in regards to pet poisoning. The increased amount of fats offered to your dog can leave the poor little tyke with pancreatitis. You also run the risk of the same negative reactions to chocolate as mentioned above. Watch out for alcohol. Now I’m not saying you will fill a dog’s water bowl with the dregs of your beer barrel, but when people have parties, the guests frequently have tendencies of leaving half-filled cups in their wake. It’s tempting for a pet to check out the contents, and the action might go undetected by a host in all the holiday hoopla. Most dogs have a much lower body weight than humans so the alcohol hits them harder. It could even kill them. Symptoms of too much alcohol in a dog include vomiting, dehydration, uncoordinated movement, hypothermia, disorientation, seizures or tremors, collapse and coma, and possible death.

Even innocent food can contribute to pet poisoning. It’s critical for dedicated dog owners to be aware of this. You definitely don’t want to kill your dog with kindness.