03/06/2026
It’s important to be aware of common household poisons that can be dangerous to your pets.
Beware of the following:
❄️ Antifreeze (ethylene glycol): Highly toxic and deadly for pets, even in small doses. Symptoms include incoordination, thirst, drooling, vomiting, drowsiness, lethargy, excessive urination, progressing to seizures, coma, and death.
🍬 Sweeteners (xylitol): Found in many human sweets, xylitol can cause low blood sugar and permanent liver damage in pets. Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, incoordination, lethargy, tremors, and seizures.
💊 Household Medicines: Over-the-counter medications like Ibuprofen or Paracetamol can be deadly to pets, causing liver and kidney damage. Keep them locked away and contact your veterinarian immediately if you think your pet has ingested them.
🐀 Rat Poison (anticoagulants): Symptoms may include lethargy, weakness, pale gums, breathing difficulties, lameness, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine, bruising, and bleeding. Contact your veterinarian for advice even if your pet seems fine.
💐 Lily (flower): Deadly for cats, lilies can cause vomiting, reduced appetite, drooling, lethargy, weakness, and kidney failure.
🪰 Insecticide (Permethrin): Used in dog-only flea treatments, permethrin can cause vomiting, fevers, seizures, and tremors in cats. Never use dog-only medicines on cats.
🧽Cleaning products (Benzalkonium chloride): Common in disinfectants, benzalkonium chloride can be irritating to pets. Use diluted soap or bleach instead.
🧴 Bleach: Industrial bleach can cause chemical burns in pets, while household bleach can cause drooling and mouth irritation. Dilute with water and call your vet if your pet is showing symptoms.
Common symptoms include vomiting, drooling, incoordination, swelling of the mouth, abnormal body temperature, twitches and tremors, breathing difficulty, seizures, and passing out.
If your pet has been poisoned, immediately remove them from the source of the poison and call your vet for advice, even if your pet seems fine.
