National Animal Poison Prevention Week: What you need to know

3月的第三个完整周是美国的全国预防中毒周(3月17日至23日), 2024). But as crucial as toxic ingestion awareness in humans is, pet owners need to be extra vigilant when it comes to cats and dogs. 幸运的是, National Animal Poison Prevention Week coincides at this time, and it’s even more important than a lot of pet owners realize.

当涉及到宠物的健康和幸福时，不要让事情顺其自然——国家动物中毒预防周为学习更多关于识别和预防宠物家庭毒素摄入的知识提供了绝佳的机会.

家中宠物中毒事件呈上升趋势

In 2022, 美国防止虐待动物协会(ASPCA)动物中毒控制中心(APCC)收到 超过40万个宠物中毒电话. 更令人担忧的是, 宠物中毒热线发现，与2021年相比，宠物中毒病例增加了5%. 在过去的5年里, the APCC team has also seen a nearly 300% increase in calls, 娱乐性药物首次进入ASCPA年度宠物毒素排行榜.

以下是十大毒素:

1. 非处方药物
2. 食物
3. 处方药
4. 巧克力
5. 植物
6. 家庭毒素
7. 兽医产品
8. 灭鼠灵的
9. 杀虫剂
10. 毒品

Trupanion索赔数据

Trupanion已经支付了超过46美元.7 million in pet poison, toxicity and ingestion claims over the past 2+ decades. 宠物医疗pp王者电子官网公司的数据还显示，大多数宠物都被人类的食物毒死了, with chocolate being the most common pet poison.

Certain types of pets also appear more likely to eat something toxic or dangerous. 拉古托·罗马诺洛, 新斯科舍省的鸭子寻回犬和玩具澳大利亚牧羊犬目前持有最高的索赔率. 此外，小狗和小猫是2.7 times more likely to have a plant-related toxicity claim and 4.7 times more likely to have a marijuana-related toxicity claim than older pets.

宠物中毒的迹象

这取决于物质和你的宠物吃了多少或以其他方式接触了多少, 中毒的症状差别很大. If you suspect anything is off, however, seek veterinary care immediately. 狗和猫摄入有毒物质的以下迹象也需要到最近的动物医院进行紧急医疗处理:

• Bleeding or bruising not from a physical injury (unexpected / unexplained)
• 呕吐或反复呕吐
• 癫痫(震动)
• 呼吸紧张或困难
• 肿胀
• 晕倒
• Change in bathroom habits: frequent urination or diarrhea
• 极度疲劳或不适
• Loss of coordination or a “drunken” appearance

请记住，如果你的宠物最近摄入了有毒物质，可能没有中毒的迹象. 但是不要等到它们生病了——如果你意识到你的宠物吃了有毒的东西，立即寻求医疗护理.

有毒的宠物家居用品

许多宠物主人不知道家里可能已经有多少猫和狗的毒药. 这个列表包括许多 常用家居用品 这可能会使宠物有中毒的危险，但这可能不包括你家里所有潜在的毒素. If you’re unsure about anything, consult with your veterinarian or call the 宠物中毒求助热线.

清洁的物质

Household cleaning products are necessary for keeping a home fresh and tidy, 但是很多对宠物来说是剧毒的. 特别是漂白剂和洗涤剂，如果被食用，需要立即进行兽医护理.

食品及烘焙配料

巧克力是一种众所周知的宠物毒素, but lesser-known ones include grapes and raisins, 酵母, 木糖醇, 澳洲坚果, 蘑菇, 洋葱等.

汽车零部件及产品

防冻液和机油会导致宠物中毒，需要立即就医(宠物主人应该特别警惕防冻液, 因为对动物来说它尝起来和闻起来都是甜的). 此外, 铅中毒 通常与含铅涂料有关, but a surprising amount of auto parts can put curious pets at risk.

院子里的照顾

草坪和花园肥料对宠物来说可能是剧毒的，治疗害虫的化学品也是. 如果你住在寒冷的地区, 请注意，车道上的除冰盐也不应该被你的宠物舔或食用.

家庭害虫毒药

啮齿动物毒药是这里的罪魁祸首, but even insect repellants can be harmful to your pet if ingested or inhaled.

药物

药物 vary greatly in potency and have potential to cause harm, 但是根据经验, 考虑所有处方, 非处方药和非处方药都应该放在你够不着的地方.

植物

虽然很漂亮，但许多室内植物会导致宠物咬伤它们的毒性反应. 一些流行的但是 有毒的宠物室内植物 include lilies, sago palm, daffodil and aloe vera. Though not a “houseplant,” cannabis can also cause poisoning in pets.

精油

精油 have increased in prevalence over the past several years, especially when it comes to beauty and personal care items. 然而，许多受欢迎的油，如冬青油和桦树油，对狗和猫是有毒的.

防止宠物中毒的小贴士

对于你家里的宠物来说，潜在的有毒危险是相当可怕的, and you may even feel a bit overwhelmed going down the list. 但是作为宠物父母, 你可以做很多事情来帮助你的四条腿的朋友免受伤害.

Start by identifying potential dangers and putting them out of reach for your pet. 例如，所有清洁产品应存放在可上锁的橱柜或壁橱中. If you have open shelves in your kitchen or pantry, store hazardous items up high w在这里 your pet can’t jump. 同样，汽车产品也不应该离开车库，应该有自己的安全存储空间.

Following these tips for preventing pet poisoning can also help mitigate risk:

• Use your phone to research houseplants at the store before buying them, and avoid getting anything that could be toxic.
• 目前任何对宠物有毒的室内植物都应该处理掉，或者放在高架子上.
• Never leave the kitchen while cooking or baking, and clean up as you go.
• 使用狗门来帮助宠物远离你正在积极使用潜在有毒物质的区域.
• 清洁后，让表面完全干燥，然后再让你的宠物回到该区域.
• 在给你的宠物引入新物质或尝试任何新的治疗方法之前，请咨询你的兽医.

Get ahead of animal poisoning with pet medical insurance

宠物是不可预测的，即使你采取了最好的预防措施，事故仍然可能发生. 因此，提前控制并制定紧急医疗计划是一个好主意. Along with taking note of the nearest animal hospitals, a good 宠物pp王者电子官网 policy can help you tackle surprise medical costs. 有了这些，你就能在危机时刻专注于真正重要的事情——照顾好你的宠物.

宠物主人的重要电话号码

本周，所有的宠物主人都应该花点时间在他们的手机上设置一些重要的号码. In emergency events, having these on hand could be life-saving for your pet:

• ASPCA动物中毒控制中心: (888) 426-4435888-426-4435
• 宠物毒药求助热线: (888) 426-7661888-426-7661
• 你的宠物pp王者电子官网公司
• The nearest animal hospitals in your area that provide emergency services

How to spread awareness during National Animal Poison Prevention Week

While it’s important to take measures to protect your own dog or cat, National Poison Prevention Week is the perfect time to spread awareness. If you have friends and family members with pets, 分享你所学到的预防中毒的技巧并鼓励其他人分享并没有什么坏处 保护他们的狗或猫 有宠物pp王者电子官网. Accidents can happen at any time — spreading awareness helps save lives.