How Dogs and Cats Get Poisoned

Poisons can cause kidney failure, blindness, coma or death.   A big culprit is anti-freeze.Have you got objects or substances lying around your home that could injure your pet? Here are some common sources of poisoning for dogs and cats.  

Batteries – Pets can become attracted to the coppery taste of a used battery shell. Usually the animal will also have burns around his mouth if he ingested a dead battery.  

Cocoa Bean Mulch – This is a common fertilizer made from cocoa beans that is used to encourage flower gardens to grow. Cocoa beans contain caffeine and theobromine, substances, which cause seizures, tremors, vomiting and death in cats and dogs.   This is attractive gardening mulch but it really is dangerous for your pets.

 Chocolate – Known as chocolate toxicosis, symptoms of poisoning include tremors, convulsions, diarrhea, vomiting, hyperactivity and increased heart rate.   The caffeine and a chemical called theobromine in the chocolate cause this. Only twos ounce of chocolate can kill a full-grown dog , even less can do in a cat. Never every give your cat or dog chocolate as a treat and don’t give them the foil wrappers form chocolate treats to play with.  

Copper Coins – Pennies minted after 1982 contain a level of zinc that is toxic to dogs.   If your pet swallows a penny take him to the vet immediately as zinc toxicosis from pennies can cause seizures, tremors, vomiting, kidney failure and death.  

Macademia Nuts , If your dog accidentally eats one of these nuts he can suffer muscular weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, tummy pain and muscle stiffness. If you suspect your dog has helped himself to macadamia nuts take him to the vet.  

Moth Balls – Mothball contain camphor that can cause vomiting, lethargy seizures, kidney failure and coma.   Kittens often see these as small toy balls that they should play with.

 Pesticides – Any type of pesticide is as toxic to your pet as it is to humans. If the sign says “Keep Off the Grass” keep off it. If the grass is full of pesticides your staffie could suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, respiratory problems, bleeding from the are very attracted to the sweet taste of anti-freeze so you need to keep it locked up even if it is in your garage.  

Pine tree needles – Ingesting fallen needles from a Christmas tree can cause dog and cat’s serious gastrointestinal discomfort that may require treatment from a vet.   This is because the pine needles can actually cut the inside of the intestines and cause infections that could be fatal to the poor animal.  In essence watch out for cat or dog the same way that you would and adventurous toddler. The one thing young humans and pets have in common is their predilection for getting into toxic stuff.   Home is not the only place where this stuff can become a problem.   Don’t let your dog nose around in garbage if you take him or her out for a walk.

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Is Your Cat EasilyToilet Trained?

Not every cat is suitable for toilet training. Some cats resist the idea simply because they don’t like water. Some cats also don’t like the sound of toilet because it frightens them.  However if your cat likes hanging around the bathroom or toilet in the first place then he or she might even enjoy toilet training.  

The ideal candidate is the type of cat that is always hanging around when you turn on a faucet in the house, sitting in the sink or playing in toilet water.  Animal experts say that outgoing and confident cats make better candidates for toilet training simply because they are more reckless and cocky in general. Shy, submissive cats get very nervous if they can’t cover their feces after they go. They are terrified of being tracked by predators.  Confident and outgoing cats don’t care who sees their business after they do it. They deliberately leave their urine and feces exposed in the litter box to mark territory. When they do this, this means that they are not scared of anyone. The cat that does this is going to mind having his or her feces exposed in an unlashed toilet.  An insecure cat however may be very distressed by the fact that the feces cannot be covered up as usual. If you are not around to flush the toilet then the cat might resort to yowling.  

Before trying to train your cat, observe its behavior in the litter box for a bit. Does it spend a lot of time scurrying around and shuffling sand and fussing physically over its feces?   If so you are looking at a cat that might have a nervous breakdown if you to try train it , the feline equivalent of the anal human.  If the cat leaves the feces completely exposed or gives his feces just a few kicks then you have a good candidate for toilet training. A cat that kicks litter out of the box also is showing the kind of cockiness that is needed to be toilet trained successfully.  

It would be a mistake to think that a cat that won’t learn how to toilet train is not smart. In fact it is probably the alpha cat (the leader of the pack in the den) that will be the most difficult to condition to toilet training behavior.  The cats that do succeed at toilet training are the ones that aim to please you. These are the friendly cats, that love to be patted and that seem to have no fear. Usually these cats are more vocal than other cats and are willing to talk to you and make eye contact.  Overweight cats are not great candidates for toilet training. If they fall in the toilet they have difficulty getting out because they are unwieldy. Falling in the toilet, by the way, is very nightmarish for most cats and could cause other types of neurotic behaviors in the long run such as developing a fear of going outside or of water.

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