PET TALK: A case of the junk drawer: Unsuspecting household threats to pets

There’s no place like home.

It’s where our pets find comfort, security and safety.

Some common household items, however, can inadvertently bring danger into a pet’s loving household.

Dr. Shayna Doyle, a second-year emergency and critical care resident at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, educates owners on common yet unsuspecting toxicities found within homes and how to safeguard our pets against these potential dangers.

Explorations gone awry

Pets are known for curiously exploring new and interesting things in their environment. 

Some common items that could have the potential for pet harm include:

• Electrical cords
• Lilies and other common houseplants
• Certain human medications, including ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin
• Insect bait and ant repellant
• Yarn or string (specifically for cats or kittens, who may be tempted to ingest it while playing)

The kitchen also can hold unsuspecting hazards, including items like sugar-free gum and peanut butter that contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is toxic to dogs and cats.

With the Thanksgiving season upon us, turkeys will soon be another health hazard of which curious pups are tempted to snag a taste from the table.

“A sharp item like an animal bone can poke holes anywhere and everywhere, including in a pet’s mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines,” Doyle said. “They can also get stuck in their jaw or esophagus. Some of these situations would require immediate surgery and can be life-threatening.”

Pets exploring a home may also come across stray batteries, which contain myriad potential hazardous chemicals, including:

• Sulphuric acid
• Mercury
• Nickel
• Cadmium
• Lead 

According to Doyle, even the smallest batteries can carry a great risk for pets.

“Button batteries, or the flat batteries you might put in a garage door opener, for example, are the worst kind of battery for pets to ingest,” she said. “These batteries generate an electrical current on any moist surface, so they can burn through an animal’s entire gastrointestinal tract and create extremely severe symptoms.”

Cautionary curiosities

The chaos of the holiday season can often leave owners unaware that their furry friend has been snooping around a toxic item. 

While monitoring pets as they explore the home and keeping the house tidy are some of the best ways to keep pets safe from household toxins, owners should also be aware of their pet’s health and watch for signs of poisoning. 

Common symptoms exhibited by a pet that ingested a toxic item could include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• A wobbly gait
• Abnormal eating habits — eating less than normal or not at all
• Behavioral changes — less responsive or personality seems "off"

“If the symptoms are something you’d be worried about in a human child, it’s worth having the pet evaluated by a veterinarian,” Doyle said.

Pet-proofed households

Accidents happen, things spill and pets often defy all odds to get into things they shouldn’t. A small pill, string or battery may not seem like much to us, but the damage it can do to our companions should make the safekeeping of these items in our household much more of a priority.

“Just as parents would child-proof a home, pet owners should-pet proof a home. That means keeping all dangerous items out of reach, even ones you think your pet wouldn’t go to eat or chew on,” Doyle said. “When animals are bored, home alone or unsupervised, they can do things that we would never expect, so it’s important to be prepared to try to prevent as many negative outcomes as possible.”

Rather than live in fear, owners should be knowledgeable of potential threats, take precautions to keep toxic items out of pets’ reach, and be ready to contact a veterinarian if a toxicity does occur. 

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Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.