The gardeners among us are all quite familiar with the use of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals in the never-ending war against insects, weeds and rodents.  For the 30 million Americans who live with dogs in the home, all of these poisons can easily lead to an accidental pet casualty if the proper precautions are not taken.  Are pesticides harmful to dogs?  There are pesticides harmful to dogs in almost every dog-owner’s home, so if you want to keep your furry friend safe, read on for some guideline to pet-safe poison use.

The two poisons that are most commonly involved in accidents with dogs are pesticides containing disulfoton and snail bait containing metaldehyde.  Disulfoton turns up in many different pesticides, and is particularly harmful to dogs if ingested.  To make matters worse, it also has a flavor that is enjoyed by dogs so they are quite attracted to it.  Metaldehyde is commonly found in snail/slug bait, and is also tasty to canines.  Either of these two poisons can be deadly if ingested by your dog, so check any product you use to see if it contains them.  You can still use these products, but be absolutely sure to keep your dog inside or separated from the area for at least 24 hours after application.  In fact, this is a good rule to follow no matter what poison or pesticide you are using.

In addition to keeping your dog away while the chemicals are in use, it is important to store any potentially harmful products in a place where no pets could ever get in to them (or children for that matter).  Proper disposal once you are done with the containers is important as well; keep your trash cans secured from curious paws.  If you suspect that your dog has been exposed to a dangerous substance, some symptoms to check for are: vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hypersalivation, or respiratory failure.  Any of these signs are cause for serious concern and you should get in contact with your veterinarian immediately.  If you need help finding a vet, you can use TalkLocal to get automatically connected to a professional in your area.  All you need to do is enter your name, contact info, and a description of your problem and TalkLocal will have you on the phone with someone who can help in less than two minutes.

This entry was originally posted on Friday, December 14th, 2012 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Veterinarians. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.