Animal Poison Control
1-888-426-4435
Pet Poison Control
In 2016, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control received 180, 639 cases regarding pet toxins! According to the ASPCA, the 10 most common pet toxins of 2016 ranked in order of call volume are:
- Human prescription medications – Medications prescribed to humans account for 17% of all cases reported to the APCC. These medications include heart medications, antidepressants and ADHD medications. Pet parents should take care to keep human medications out of the reach of pets.
- Over-the-counter medications – Ibprofen is still the number one medication the APCC receives calls about. This category is exceptionally large, encompassing more than 6,900 different products.
- Human Foods – This category moved up one spot this year, mostly due to xylitol, a sweetener used in many sugar-free products which is toxic to animals. Other common food toxins are onions, grapes, raisins and alcohol.
- Veterinary Medications – at 9.3% of cases, this category moved up 3 places. Over the counter joint supplements and prescription pain medication make up a large portion of this category since they are designed to be tasty for ease of administration. Unfortunately, this means that pets may be tempted to eat the entire container. We encourage pet parents to keep pet and human medications/supplements out of the reach of your pets.
- Household items – Especially paints, glue and cleaning products. Antifreeze is extremely toxic to pets if ingested. Ice melt can be dangerous for pets so please use caution when using these products around animals.
- Chocolate – Who doesn’t love chocolate? This includes our furry friends. Unfortunately, chocolate is toxic to pets, especially darker chocolate. APCC recieves an average of 39 calls per day making up about 7.9% of calls about chocolate. Please do not share your chocolately treats with your pet’s.
- Insecticides – These products can be very dangerous, especially if the label directions are not followed. Please use caution when using these products around pets.
- Rodenticides – These products are made to kill mice and rats, but they can also kill pets if ingested. This category moved up a spot, they make up about 5.5% of calls.
- Plants – Most of these calls involve cats and houseplants but some are toxic to dogs as well. Some Indoor, Outdoor and bouquets can be dangerous. For more information on which plants are toxic to animals click here.
- Lawn and garden products – Many of these exposures occurred because people did not store lawn and garden products out of the reach of pets. For some reason, some pet’s find fertilizers irrestible so please keep out of their paws reach!
At Johnston Animal Hospital, we are aware of the vast amount of information available on the internet. That’s why our team has taken the time to evaluate the following sites as trusted resources for general information. However, please contact our hospital if you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s health. We are here to help!
American Animal Hospital Association
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
American Veterinary Medical Association
Center for Veterinary Medicine- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Career Preparation:
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine – Raleigh, NC
Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
Central Carolina Community College Veterinary Medical Technology Program – Sanford, NC
Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM)
Veterinary Hospital Managers Association Training and Certification Program