At this time of year when you’re likely to have guests in your home or to be a guest in someone else’s home and there’s lots of hustle and bustle, it’s important that everyone is careful about pets getting access to human medications. A dropped pill or one left on the counter can be fatal. The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association has a useful list of the top 10 human medications most frequently consumed by pets and how they’re affected by them.
It also includes these smart tips on how you and your guests can keep your pets safe.
- Never leave loose pills in a plastic Ziploc® bag – the bags are too easy to chew into. Make sure visiting house guests do the same, keeping their medications high up or out of reach.
- If you place your medication in a weekly pill container, make sure to store the container in a cabinet out of reach of your pets. Unfortunately, if they get a hold of it, some pets might consider the pill container a plastic chew toy.
- Never store your medications near your pet’s medications – Pet Poison Helpline frequently receives calls from concerned pet owners who inadvertently give their own medication to their pet.
- Hang your purse up. Inquisitive pets will explore the contents of your bag and simply placing your purse up and out of reach can help to avoid exposure to any potentially dangerous medication(s).
- Update: Carrie on Facebook gave the excellent advice to do a room check of your hotel room if you’re staying with your dog. Other guests may have dropped medication before your stay.
If your pet does ingest any human medication call The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center at 1-(888)-426-4435 and you veterinarian.
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