We had a dog that came in a few weeks ago that had gotten into two separate containers from Hawaii – both of which contained chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts. Now most people are aware that chocolate isn’t good for dogs, but were you aware that Macadamia nuts are too? Below is a list of everyday things in your house that you may not be aware are potentially toxic to Fido or Fluffy :

• Sugar Substitutes. Xylitol, a sugar substitute from Finland, is used in many sugarfree candies, chewing gums, and toothpastes. If ingested in large enough amounts on a per weight basis, then it can cause liver damage in dogs.

• Onions and Garlic. These contain disulfides – sulfur compounds that can cause gastrointestinal irritation to pets and harm their red blood cells. So keep Rover out of the trash, or you may have a dog vomiting all over your house.

• Pennies. While a pooch can choke on any coin, pennies are especially dangerous because they are made with zinc, which is toxic to pets. When a penny sits in your pet’s stomach, the zinc leaks out into the blood stream, resulting in anemia and possibly kidney disease.

• Macadamia Nuts. Dogs have become very ill ingesting just a handful of these. They contain an unknown toxin that can upset your pet’s digestive tract and muscles, causing severe weakness (or even paralysis), mild vomiting, and diarrhea. Good news – virtually all dogs recover after 48 hours of ingestion.

• Pine Oil Cleaners. The oil in these can cause severe liver damage in cats. It doesn’t take much. Even licking up a small spill from your mop may be enough to make Shadow or Simba start throwing up.

• Ant Spray. We had someone who used Raid in their kitchen to get rid of ants, and his cat came in the next day with severe seizures and muscle tremors. Check the label before you spray to see if it’s safe to use indoors, and make sure it doesn’t contain pyrethrins or permethrins.

• Watch out for liquid potpourri, lilies, and antifreeze, and keep all human medication in cabinets that your pets can’t access.

I hope that sheds some light on things in your house that can cause trouble to your fuzzy friends. By the way, the dog that ate all the Macadamia nuts was fine, but I doubt if he learned his lesson (dogs can be like that!).

Till next time, Dr. Steve

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