With enhanced senses, pets can easily get into trouble leading to a possible emergency visit at your local veterinary hospital. Most pets can’t help it as the world is an enticing and curious place. Afterall, we have a hard time saying no to a chocolate bar, enjoying the beauty of a Sago Palm or even taking medications for our personal health or the health of others. It is hard to expect a pet to naturally know these items and more are dangerous to their well-being. So, it is important to practice pet poison prevention every day to help minimize your pet’s risk of ingesting a poisonous substance.

There are several ways you can practice prevention with your pet every day. One of the best forms of prevention is to keep poisonous substances away from your pet’s reach. For example, keep medications, human foods and cleaning supplies in a closed cabinet or drawer out of reach from your pet. Similarly, when poisonous substances are in use such as cleaning supplies and insecticides, keep your pet away from the area until it is safe for them. Practicing these preventative behaviors daily can significantly decrease your pet’s risk.

Yet, what you can do to be an even better pet parent is to stay educated on the most common pet poisons they may come in contact with on a daily basis. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s website has a list of poisonous plants, foods and household products for pet owners to reference. Pet owners should use this as a guide when purchasing or navigating through potential poisonous substances.

However, accidents do occur and we cannot bubble wrap our pets from the world. If your pet does ingest a poison, remain calm and reach out to either your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.