A Little More Toxicology

Veterinarians have known for a long time that there are certain foods that are safe for people that are toxic to pets, chocolate for an example. But it seems like the list grows a little every year. In the past year or two we've learned that grapes/raisons and xylitol (an artificial sweetener used in gum and candy) can cause life threatening illness. I've had 3 cases of xylitol ingestion in the past 6 months. One dog was a repeat offender. In all 3 of these cases the dog got into a purse and ingested several sticks of gum.

I found an article for pet owners on the a.s.p.c.a website regarding this problem with a list of potential toxins. There was one on there I didn't know about (avacados? I had no idea- sometimes these things hit the mass media before the veterinary literature.) Check out the article at www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/people-foods.html

Human Medicine Poisoning in Pets

The Pet Poison Helpline reports that nearly half of the calls they receive involve human medications both over-the-counter and prescription. The top ten are:

1. NSAIDs (eg. Advil, Aleve, and Motrin)

2. Acetaminophen (eg. Tylenol). Side note: acetamenophen is especially deadly in cats.

3, Antidepressants (eg.Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac, Lexapro)

4. ADD/ADHD (eg.Concerta, Adderall, Ritalin)

5. Benzodiazepines and sleep aids, (eg. Xanax, Klonopin, Ambien, Lenesta)

6. Birth control pills (eg. estrogen, estradiol, progesterone)

7. ACE inhibitors (eg. Zestril, Altace)

8. Beta-blockers (eg. Tenormin, Toprol, Coreg)

9. Thyroid hormones (eg. Armour desiccated thyroid, Synthroid)

10. Cholesterol lowering agents (eg. Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor)

Pet Poison Hotline is a service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians that require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. The helpline fee is $35 per incident and includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poison case. Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/