FAQ’s
We know that both cats and dogs at times get into trouble by eating or drinking something they are not supposed to. There are
many foods, plants, and substances that are toxic to our pets. Below are the top 10 items as reported by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
many foods, plants, and substances that are toxic to our pets. Below are the top 10 items as reported by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
- Over the counter medications
- Human prescription medications
- Food
- Chocolate
- Plants
- Household Toxins
- Veterinary medications
- Rodenticides
- Insecticides
- Garden Products
For full details, visit
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/top-10-pet-toxins
If your pet does ingest something they shouldn’t, here are a few steps to help get your pet the best care possible:
- Call one of the animal poison control centers and speak with one of their toxicology specialists. If possible, have any
food wrappers handy to go over ingredients and know the time and quantity of the substance ingested. The two centers listed below are staffed 24 hours a day/365 days a year and a consultation fee may be charged. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: 1-888-426-4435 Home Again Medical Hotline: 1-866-466-3242 - Once you have spoken with a toxicology specialist, they will assign your pet a case number (write this down – it may be
needed later). They will offer suggestions on what to do next. - If they suggest your pet get medical attention, call your primary veterinarian and schedule an appointment or seek emergency care if outside of normal business hours.
- Be sure to give the veterinarian the case number and phone number to reach the toxicologist. This will allow your veterinarian and the animal poison control center to work together to treat your pet.
Remember timing is crucial in all ingestion cases! The sooner you act, the better the chance that medical intervention will help.
Ticks Ticks Ticks everywhere, Gross! No one wants to talk or think about ticks, but they can be dangerous to our furry friends and that’s why everyone should pay close attention to them. Every pet owner at one time or another has found a tick on their dog or cat. The question is how you should remove the tick that has already attached and is feeding on your pet. Before we get to removal here are a few facts about ticks:
- Ticks are active all year long, not just in the summer months.
- Ticks can attach anywhere on your pet, but are mostly found around the ears, in the groin area, near the eyelids and areas
with thinner vascular skin. - Ticks secrete a substance called “tick cement” to help them stay attached to your pet.
- Ticks carry a variety of diseases that can be deadly; the most common are: lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and rocky mount spotted fever.
- Transmision of tick-borne diseases can happen within the first 3-6 hours of the tick bite.
Tick removal tips to keep in mind:
- Never remove an engorged tick with your fingers. You may accidentally squeeze the tick, forcing more infectious material into the bite.
- Useful tools for tick removal include fine point tweezers or the multiple commercially available tick removal devices.
Tick removal doesn’t have to be stressful and can be done safely at home by following a few easy steps:
- Once you locate the tick, spread the surrounding fur.
- Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible with the tweezers.
- Gently pull straight upward until the tick detaches.
- Don’t worry about leaving the head of the tick behind, ticks do not have heads in the conventional sense.
- You may see two black dots left behind (those are the ticks mouth parts) Do not attempt to dig them out as this may cause an infection or small wound. The mouth parts are not harmful to your pet.
- Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and that’s it!
Notes:
- Keep the bite area clean and dry for several days and monitor for an infection.
- If showing any signs of redness or swelling, contact your veterinarian for an appointment.
- Using a year-round tick prevention such as Simparica Trio will protect your pet from diseases, and you will have less of a
chance of these pesky critters attaching to your pet!
FAQ’s
We know that both cats and dogs at times get into trouble by eating or drinking something they are not supposed to. There are many foods, plants, and substances that are toxic to our pets. Below are the top 10 items as reported by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
- Over the counter medications
- Human prescription medications
- Food
- Chocolate
- Plants
- Household Toxins
- Veterinary medications
- Rodenticides
- Insecticides
- Garden Products
For full details, visit
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/top-10-pet-toxins
If your pet does ingest something they shouldn’t, here are a few steps to help get your pet the best care possible:
- Call one of the animal poison control centers and speak with one of their toxicology specialists. If possible, have any food wrappers handy to go over ingredients and know the time and quantity of the substance ingested. The two centers listed below are staffed 24 hours a day/365 days a year and a consultation fee may be charged. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: 1-888-426-4435 Home Again Medical Hotline: 1-866-466-3242
- Once you have spoken with a toxicology specialist, they will assign your pet a case number (write this down – it may be needed later). They will offer suggestions on what to do next.
- If they suggest your pet get medical attention, call your primary veterinarian and schedule an appointment or seek emergency care if outside of normal business hours.
- Be sure to give the veterinarian the case number and phone number to reach the toxicologist. This will allow your veterinarian and the animal poison control center to work together to treat your pet.
Remember timing is crucial in all ingestion cases! The sooner you act, the better the chance that medical intervention will help.
Ticks Ticks Ticks everywhere, Gross! No one wants to talk or think about ticks, but they can be dangerous to our furry friends and that’s why everyone should pay close attention to them. Every pet owner at one time or another has found a tick on their dog or cat. The question is how you should remove the tick that has already attached and is feeding on your pet. Before we get to removal here are a few facts about ticks:
- Ticks are active all year long, not just in the summer months.
- Ticks can attach anywhere on your pet, but are mostly found around the ears, in the groin area, near the eyelids and areas with thinner vascular skin.
- Ticks secrete a substance called “tick cement” to help them stay attached to your pet.
- Ticks carry a variety of diseases that can be deadly; the most common are: lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and rocky mount spotted fever.
- Transmision of tick-borne diseases can happen within the first 3-6 hours of the tick bite.
Tick removal tips to keep in mind:
- Never remove an engorged tick with your fingers. You may accidentally squeeze the tick, forcing more infectious material into the bite.
- Useful tools for tick removal include fine point tweezers or the multiple commercially available tick removal devices.
Tick removal doesn’t have to be stressful and can be done safely at home by following a few easy steps:
- Once you locate the tick, spread the surrounding fur.
- Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible with the tweezers.
- Gently pull straight upward until the tick detaches.
- Don’t worry about leaving the head of the tick behind, ticks do not have heads in the conventional sense.
- You may see two black dots left behind (those are the ticks mouth parts) Do not attempt to dig them out as this may cause an infection or small wound. The mouth parts are not harmful to your pet.
- Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and that’s it!
Notes:
- Keep the bite area clean and dry for several days and monitor for an infection.
- If showing any signs of redness or swelling, contact your veterinarian for an appointment.
- Using a year-round tick prevention such as Simparica Trio will protect your pet from diseases, and you will have less of a chance of these pesky critters attaching to your pet!