Poison Prevention Awareness Month

Poison Prevention Awareness Month takes place during the entire month of March. The goal of poison prevention awareness month is to inform pet owners about the dangerous poisons that could harm your pet within and outside of your home. At Bark ATL's dog boarding and daycare facility, we always make it a top priority to keep all harmful or potentially poisonous things away from our pups.  While most dog owners know the obvious poisons, there can be a few unknowns.  We have constructed a simple list of dangerous items that need to be out of your dogs reach:

• Medication

Dogs are allergic to many forms of human medicines, such as cold/allergy medicine, anti-depressants, NSAIDs, and Acetaminophen. It will be in your best interest to always keep your medications put away from harms reach for the safety of your children and pets.

• Caffeine

Humans may love caffeine, but they should never give it to their dog. It doesn't matter whether the caffeine is in a liquid or pill form. No dog should ingest caffeine by any means because it can be extremely harmful to them.

• Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and minerals have significant benefits for the human body. Unfortunately, these benefits are not the same for dogs. Vitamins and minerals, including D13 & iron, are poisonous to dogs and should not be ingested by them.

• Select Fruits & Vegetables

Dogs may have intense tastebuds that make them want to eat everything, but in reality, they have limited food selections. Fruits & vegetables may seem like the best food to feed your dog. However, these foods can be lethal if ingested by your dog. Foods to keep off the list that you feed your dog include apricot, avocado, green potatoes, garlic, onions, and mushrooms.

• Coins & Lead

Coins and lead may seem like minuscule things to worry about, but they are poisonous to dogs. So the next time you see some change lying around, make sure you get it out of your dog's way to prevent ingestion.

Most toxins don't activate immediately when dogs ingest things that are poisonous to them. If you suspect that your dog may have ingested something toxic, don't hesitate to call the pet poison hotline or your veterinarian. The sooner a dog is diagnosed, the more accessible, less expensive, and safer it is to treat your pet.