Protect Your Pet from Potential Poisoning

MSN has a pretty good article up today about household items that are particularly known for poisoning dogs.

One thing I'd add to the list, which isn't often found around the house: Antifreeze. This stuff drips out of cars in parking lots all the time, often in small quantities. When it rains (or snows), water rinses the tiny amounts of antifreeze off of pavement, and it gathers on the surface of puddles. You've seen it before, I'm sure. It sometimes causes the surface of water to have a rainbow look to it, and usually has a greenish hue. Trouble is, antifreeze tastes great (so I'm told). It's very sweet, but is very poisonous.

Most people know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, but causes only relatively mild problems like increased heart rate. Antifreeze causes almost immediate, irreversible kidney damage often resulting in death. (Interestingly, that link is an article from a vet that uses vodka as part of the treatment).

There are over 10,000 pets poisoned every year by antifreeze, so lets keep an eye out!