Pet Poison Prevention

Pet Poison Prevention

Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center

626-6016

Tucson has its fair share of venomous animals. If bitten, immediately call the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at 626-6016 in Tucson and 1-800-362-0101 elsewhere in Arizona and seek medical attention if you are unable to call.

The following information was adapted from the brochure
"Read The Label First: Protect Your Pet"
developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Labeling Initiative:

Protect Your Pet:

• Labels contain important information.
• Follow all label instructions and precautions.
• Keep products in their original containers.
• Keep pets away from products.

Know where to call for help. Always read the label first before you buy, store, and use household cleaners or pesticide products. Many common household products such as cleaners and pesticides could hurt a pet if not used and stored correctly.

Labels Tell You:

• How to use a product safely and effectively.
• How to store the product safely.
• First aid instructions.
• Phone numbers to call for help or more information.

Follow All Label Precautions:

• Warnings and directions tell you how to use products safely and correctly. This helps keep you and your pets safe.
• Follow warnings to open windows, wear gloves, and avoid breathing product dust.
• Keep pets and children away from treated areas as directed on the label.

Keep Products in Original Containers:

• It is very dangerous to put products in food and beverage containers.
• Containers without tight fitting lids can easily spill, allowing your pet access to the product.
• If you throw away the original container, you throw away important information needed in case of an emergency.
• If the label tells you to mix a product in another container, use all of the mixture.
• If you can't use all the mixture, label the new container for use in the future.

Know Where to Call For Help:

• Many labels contain a phone number to call in an emergency.
• Have your local poison control center phone number handy by the phone.
• Have your veterinarian's phone number near the phone.
• Have the product label with you when you call! The label provides those helping you with important information about the product.

Keep Pets Away from Products:

• Don't spray or store cleaning or pesticide products near pet food or water dishes.
• Make sure animals can't get at bait products while they are in use.
  In the event of a spill, be sure to keep animals out of the area until it is cleaned up.
• Don't forget about wildlife. Spraying products on a windy day can carry the product into the water supply for wild animals.
• Store all household cleaning products and pesticides where pets can't get at them.

Some Common Household Poisions

Antifreeze: For both dogs and cats, antifreeze is toxic, even in small amounts. Make sure it's kept far out of reach of pets and take immediate care if your pet ingests any. It has a very sweet taste, so make sure to clean up any spilled fluid as a very small amount can make your pet ill.


Medicines, cleaning supplies, sunscreen, and gardening products are often easy for a dog or cat to get into and should be stored safely away.

Secondhand smoke is harmful not only to dogs and cats but also to many other animals.

Chocolate: A dog should never be fed chocolate because theobromine and caffeine, both of which occur naturally in cocoa, will elevate heart rate and irritate the gastrointestinal tract (which can cause internal bleeding). The amount of chocolate that can prove fatal depends on the size of the dog and the type of chocolate it has eaten. Baking chocolate, for instance, is more harmful than milk chocolate.

Walnuts contain a fungus that can cause your dog to experience seizures. The high phosphorus content of walnuts and many other nuts can lead to bladder stones.

Baby food and cats: Sometimes when a cat is sick, people feed it baby food. Many baby foods are flavored with onions which can cause anemia in cats. Read the label carefully before feeding any to your cat.

Houseplants: There are a number of houseplants that can be extremely harmful to cats such as caladiums, carnations, cyclamens, dumbcane, indoor bulbs, holly, hydrangea, mistletoe, ivy, philodendrons, and rubber plants. Rabbits are also predisposed to nibble at greenery. If you allow your rabbit to roam freely in your home, be sure that all houseplants are off the ground and out of reach.

Lead: Birds are especially sensitive to lead and need to be treated immediately if they ingest even the tiniest amount. Rabbits are also very sensitive. A hidden source of lead is weighted curtains.

Teflon: One serious danger to birds is Teflon. If a Teflon pan, waffle iron, clothing iron, or any appliance coated with Teflon accidentally scorches, the resulting fumes can kill a bird instantly.

Nicotine is extremely poisonous to birds. Any ashtrays should be emptied when you allow your bird out of its cage.

Rubber bands and erasers: Ferrets are prone to nibbling at objects in the house, so be sure rubber bands or rubber erasers are kept out of reach so they don't choke on them.

Ammonia and bleach: With aquarium fish, if you use an ammonia or bleach based cleaning agent on the outside of the glass, make sure you spray it onto the towel and not directly on the tank, otherwise the chemical mist may drift into the water