Month: March 2019

103 The Top 10 Animal Toxins of 2018

National Poison Prevention Week- March 17-23, 2019.

It’s that time of year when the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center examines its data and releases the Top 10 categories of toxins pets come in contact with each year. The data was gathered from about 213,773 cases of potential animal poisonings examined by the APCC in 2018.
Here are the top 10 toxins, beginning with the category which caused the most calls to APCC toxicologists.

1) OTC Medications:
Over-the-counter medications were the most common group of toxicants pets ingested this year. This is a varied group of medications including items such as vitamins, OTC pain medications (acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen), herbal supplements, antihistamines and cold and flu medications. Ingestion of OTC medications are usually accidental, but I have seen owners give too much aspirin for pain, over several days. Last year this was #2, after human prescriptions.

2) Human Prescriptions:
Medications prescribed for people dropped to number two this year. ADHD medications, antidepressants and heart medications make up a significant amount of these cases, which is typically what I have seen, along with birth control and topical hormones. Remember to keep all medications out of reach of pets.

3) Food:
Food is number 3. Xylitol, grapes and raisins, and onions and garlic make up most of these cases. Xylitol is one that I worry about because it is in many sugar free gums, and not harmful for people. Who knew gum could be toxic?

4) Chocolate:
Chocolate moved up another spot from last year! The popularity of chocolate gifts for occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter adds to the danger. If your pet has eaten some chocolate, call us or the poison control center. We have a calculator to determine if the amount and type of chocolate is enough to be toxic. (Dark chocolate is stronger and more toxic)

5) Veterinary Products:
Chewable medications and misread labels are a big reason pets run into trouble with veterinary products. I have had more than one patient eat six months of heartworm prevention at a time. Those are expensive dog “treats.” Make sure to read the prescription labels and keep the containers safe. Just because it is childproof doesn’t mean it is dog proof.

6) Household Items:
This group includes cleaning products, moth balls, batteries, detergents, cigarettes, and alcohol. Or maybe alcohol should be food?

7) Rodenticides:
Rodenticide exposure is increased from last year. Unfortunately pets, along with rodents, find baits very tasty. We had a patient die this winter after eating rat bait from a bait station. While anticoagulants and bromethalin baits are still available, cholecalciferol baits made a comeback this year. Rats are tough.

8) Insecticides:
Insecticide exposure cases decreased for the second year in a row . Insecticides includes items such as ant baits, bug sprays and yard products. Ant baits use attractants like peanut butter which unfortunately attract pets as well as ants. I don’t see nearly as many insecticide toxicities as I used to. Thank goodness.

9) Plants:
Plants remained in ninth place. Indoor and outdoor plants as well as prepared bouquets can present major problems. The APCC app has lots of helpful information regarding plant exposures as well as other toxins. Would this include marijuana and edibles? I expect to see more therapeutic uses of CBD oil for humans and pets, which seems to have low toxicity.

10) Garden Products:
Garden products still came in last. Fertilizer, bone meal and compost are all garden products many dogs find irresistible. Many pet owners call about herbicides like Roundup, but they usually aren’t tasty, even though we commonly use them in pet areas like yards.

102 Local Emergency Pet Clinics

The Flower Mound Emergency Pet Clinic and the North Texas Emergency Pet Clinic have both been purchased by an outstanding veterinary corporation, Southern Veterinary Partners. These two local emergency clinics were started by local vets who pooled together as shareholders to start the corporation to build and manage them. I have been a shareholder of the NTEPC almost since the beginning in the 90s, and with the FMEPC since it was built in the 2000s. This now means I am not a shareholder in these 2 clinics, but I still highly recommend them to my clients. If my puppies or Sarge were to get sick at night or on a weekend, I would take them there.

Being purchased by a large vet corporation has many positives, especially for an emergency clinic. They have greater success in finding emergency specialist vets and nurses, and usually offer more benefits than a small practice can offer. They have better purchasing power for medicines and equipment. I expect great things to happen at our two local emergency clinics.

The other local emergency hospital is the Center for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care, which is a large full service hospital with day specialists in neurology, neurosurgery, and internal medicine. It is conveniently located in south Lewisvlle, just off 121 tollway, near Costco. They have an outstanding reputation also and are open 24 hours. I have referred neurology and daytime emergency patients there since it opened a few years ago.

We are very fortunate here in Lewisville to have 3 great options for our pet emergencies. Just like the numerous small and large emergency clinics for humans, it is great to have choices.

101 Puppy Toys

So last week I started Puppy Kindergarten for my little Dachshund mix, Chuck. We had a small class of 4 dogs, so it was easy for Chuck to focus. We all brought quiet chew toys so the puppies could entertain themselves as the instructor was talking. We also had some reward treats. I brought his favorite (so far), little “Slim Jim” style jerky dog treats from Winco that I can pinch off little tiny bits easily and some cooked chicken.

We started off with rewarding their response to their name. No problem there. We move on to sitting, staying for 5 seconds, then longer. Chuck is up to 15 seconds. Then we started stepping away or circling him. We didn’t get very far yet, but it was a new lesson for both of us. We walked on a leash inside the gym keeping a bubble around each puppy so they weren’t distracted. We ended by calmly walking around, “doing a drive by” the other puppies. They really didn’t greet each other yet. That will come later.

So by the end of the class, each puppy had 45-60 minutes of undivided time with their pet parent, and lots of rewards for performing the commands. No punishment, no choke collars, just lots of love and treats.

I have learned there are 5 kinds of toys: Passive, Active, Working, Old and New. Who knew? Passive toys are quiet chew toys like raw hides, and Bully sticks and yummy filled Kongs. Active toys are tennis balls, squeak toys, ropes, Frisbees. Chuck especially loves to destroy squeak toys. Working toys are ones that stimulate them mentally, and usually dispense a treat. I haven’t use this kind before, but the concept sounds great and sturdier then my plastic coke 2 liter bottle filled with kibble. The Old toys and New toys are self-explanatory, and as parents we all use this trick.

I discovered that the Kong website has a Kong Box, with 4 toys selected for your pet’s size and they mail right to your house. I chose the Kong brand because I was familiar with it and they are the only toys so far that are standing up to Chuck’s teeth. I will share more after it arrives.