Important information for pet owners!

ASPCA: Pet Care: Animal Poison Control: Top 10 Human Medications That Poison Our Pets

Please take just a few minutes to read the article I have linked to above and to make a few notes to share with friends. Some medicines humans take may kill our animals. Some OTC that are very common around the home are NSAIDs (ibuprofen and naproxen), Tylenol (acetaminophen), and pseudoephedrine is a decongestant cold and sinus products.

True Story

Some drugs actually attract animals. When I was younger, I had two German Shepherds. One was undergoing heart worm treatment, which required tranquilizing her, and the other was just a pup. The vet warned me to keep the tranquilizers away from the pup. Before I went out (New Year's Eve), I locked the pills in a hard shell suitcase and placed the suitcase in my bedroom closet on a shelf and closed the closet doors.

A few hours after I left the house, I had a funny feeling, so I went home early to check on my dogs. When I opened my front door, I saw my little pup wandering around like a drunken sailor. She had scratched and eaten through the closet door, knocked the suitcase down and chewed through the plastic and liner to find the pills. She had just chewed up the entire bottle of meds, plastic container and all.

Of course, I had to call my vet on New Year's Eve and tell him that, despite his warning, my small pup was in danger of overdosing. My pup lived to get into more mischief, but she required medical care for the entire holiday weekend. I think I worked the next three weeks to pay off that vet bill.

Tags: aspca, people drugs can kill animals