It’s just the worst.
You walk in the door and notice something is off. There are shreds of plastic, paper, something shiny strewn about, and your pup who is usually your happy greeter, is crouching in the corner . . .
. . . with tiny shreds of evidence hanging from his jowls, drooling, and an odd look about him. And of course, it’s way after hours and your vet is likely tucked in to bed. [Enter appropriate expletive here + exclamation point or three.]
Being the owner of The Peaceful Pup, providing pet care services for our community in the Ojai Valley and having pets myself, I’ve heard many horror stories of curious pets getting into things they shouldn’t. Now, a pet destroying a sofa cushion or favorite shoe is one (very frustrating and perhaps costly) thing, but finding she ate a bottle of supplements, fertilizer, or a box of chocolates could lead to terrible illness or even death. And once the crime has been discovered, panic sets in.
In a perfect world, all harmful items would be kept out of our pets’ reach. However, we’re humans after all, and regrettable mistakes do happen. Thank goodness there are resources to help us in these time-sensitive emergencies.
Two resources we like to share with our clients are the Pet Poison Helpline and ASPCA Animal Poison Control:
- —Pet Poison Helpline: 855.764.7661 (a $59 per incident fee applies)
- —ASPCA Animal Poison Control: 888.426.4435 (a $65 consultation fee may apply)
The Pet Poison Helpline provides a list of substances that are poisonous to pets. You can find that here.
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) has a free mobile app called Animal Poison by ASPCA that helps owners quickly identify over 300 potential everyday hazards, provides crucial information about the severity of the problem and critical next steps. Search for it in your phone’s app store.
Though our first reaction in a panic may be to reach out to our neighbors and the community (or Facebook), we may be losing precious time. Best to leave it to the experts and not waste a second. Each moment wasted could mean life or death for your furry loved one. The quicker you can get a pet poisoning diagnosed, the easier, less expensive, and safer it is to treat your pet.
And we’re here for them when you can’t be. The Peaceful Pup, bringing peace (of mind) to pets and their people one visit at a time.