PET KILLERS – DON’T LET YOUR DOG or CAT BECOME A VICTIM

BEWARE OF THE DANGERS HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT!

Part of owning pets is knowing how to keep them safe and most of us consider our home to be the safest place for them - but beware! There are many toxic items around the house (especially at Christmas and Birthday parties for example) that can be highly dangerous and even deadly to dogs and cats - even in very small amounts.  CHOCOLATE - PLANTS & FLOWERS - GRAPES & RAISINS – APPLES - HUMAN MEDICATION - ONIONS & GARLIC – MOULD – ANTIFREEZE – CLEANING FLUIDS – SLUG BAIT - RAT & MOUSE POISON – to name but a few!

Most of the buyers and sellers who Equus Property deal with have dogs or cats or both, and we all love them to bits and do our best for their welfare - but sometimes things happen….

I had a very unfortunate experience last year when my dog ate some mouse poison! It was out of reach, or so I thought, and in a robust sealed plastic container (bait station as its called).  However my very powerful and athletic German Shepherd Cross  decided to pull a cuddly toy off a chest of drawers, on which the ‘mouse bait station’ was put (awaiting use) and knocked the bait station onto the floor. She then bit straight through the strong plastic bait station and ate the pellet of poison inside!

Fortunately my wife and I were only out of the house for around 40 minutes and on our return saw the bait station in pieces and no contents inside. We immediately telephoned the vet and got the dog to the surgery within 20 minutes. She was then induced to vomit and they recovered the poison mostly intact. As luck would have it we had only fed her around 20 minutes before the incident which may have contributed to the pellet of poison remaining  intact. She was kept in at the vets and monitored overnight and immediately put on Vitamin K and had her bloods regularly taken. She was then released the next morning but had to undergo a series of further blood tests for the next  three weeks after ingesting the poison. I am pleased to say that all ended well but the vet advised me that only a small amount of the current generation of Rat and Mouse poison can be lethal - hence the three week follow up treatment required.

If you need to use any kind of rat or mouse poison make sure you store it well away from your pets and if ever in doubt as to whether your dog or cat has ingested something poisonous go straight to the vet, no question.

Act quickly and remember, BRING THE EVIDENCE TO THE VET, they need to know what the poison is (ingredients in the manufacture of the poison) so they can treat your pet accordingly.

For information on poisons hazardous to your pets refer to www.tvm-uk.com or speak to your Vet about their usage and if they are appropriate. If in doubt don't use them is my personal advice.