by Kate Manning

Created on: August 28, 2008

Our pets are our children; part of the family. So it can be quite a scare when you find out that your beloved pup has devoured an entire tube of medicated ointment, or swallowed the gel out of your Freezy Ice Cold Toasty Hot Gels' gel packs. No doubt the first thing you are going to do is get on the phone to poison control. They will take details about your pet, what it has/may have ingested, and will proceed to tell you what you can do or if a trip to the vet may be necessary.

My own pet Muscovy duck once surprised and horrified me and my husband, when one day my husband was applying some heat rub to his knee. He squirted a blob of white cream on his knee and before we knew it, our little 2 month old duck ran over to have a taste! Needless to say, it didn't taste to good and he spent 20 minutes shaking his head while I frantically tried to wash it out of his mouth. We called poison control and they took the details and said they would call back. A few minutes later they kept their word and told us that the small amount he could have swallowed should not affect him, but we should keep watch of him for a while. He was ok, although he decided after that he didn't like hot food
But who knows what something that inedible could have done to a little pet duck - or any animal at that.

Prevention is better than the cure. So you must always attempt to pet proof your poisons! This could sound like a daunting task, but do it as you would if you were trying to keep children out of things they shouldn't be going in.

First and foremost, Medications. Keep all pills, ointments and medicines locked in a cupboard and out of reach. Medicines of any kind contain chemicals mixed at different percentages. For the simple reason we are prescribed a dosage or recommended applications, so we do not overdose or do damage, and pet that takes in any amount could potentially harm themselves. Dispose of any unneeded or used containers properly and preferably not in a trash can that a dog or cat could rummage through.

Household cleaners are sometimes taken as colorful chew toys. However, one strong bite into that plastic bottle or spray container of bleach or window wash might mean the difference. Powerful and corrosive liquids that take lime scale off of porcelain bathtubs would eat away at the lining of any animals' stomach and organs. Again, keep these poisonous mixtures out of reach of a curious nose and paw. Washing out old containers might be a good idea before you throw them away, as again,

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