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Is your home truly safe for your dog, or is disaster waiting to strike? There are many things in your home that could prove fatal to your dog, that you might not have even though about. Sometimes the most dangerous objects are the things we use every day.
The following items are known well-known causes of choking, electrocution, pancreatitis, and even life-threatening Gastrointestinal obstructions.
Clothing
Dogs love to cuddle up with items that carry our scent: the stinkier the better! Unfortunately, if left unsupervised, socks, underwear, and other small clothing items could potentially be swallowed, leading to choking or GI blockages.
Bedding
Many dogs chew on bedding, furniture, and carpeting while going through their teething phase and/or when they are anxious. Not only can these materials cause blockages, but they may also contain toxic chemicals or dyes. If your pooch is a chewer, be sure to safety-proof your home thoroughly, provide safe chewing options, and monitor them closely.
Related: The 9 Best Chew Proof Dog Beds For Heavy Chewers
Kid’s Toys
With their small parts, sharp edges, and similarity to dog toys, it’s easy to see why a pup may think they are for them. However, kid’s toys are NOT for dogs and can cause all kinds of complications, including choking, intestinal blockage, or perforation.
Dog Toys
That’s right, even toys designed to be chewed and chomped by dogs can potentially be dangerous. Small balls can be swallowed, causing choking and blockages. There have even been cases where certain toys have caused deadly suction or become stuck on dogs’ muzzles or tongues, leading to dangerous swelling and requiring emergency intervention.
Related: 15 Made in USA Dog Toys
Batteries
If a dog swallows a battery, especially a small button battery commonly found in items like remote controls, watches, and other electronic devices, it can be a serious and potentially life-threatening situation. Batteries contain chemicals that can leak when they come into contact with bodily fluids, leading to tissue damage and even perforation of the digestive tract.
Coins
In addition to being a choking hazard, Some coins contain metals like zinc or copper, which can be toxic if ingested in larger quantities. Zinc toxicity can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and even organ damage.
“Junk” Drawer Items
Small objects such as buttons, beads, screws, hair ties, ribbons, and similar small objects can easily find their way onto the floor and pose a choking risk if ingested. if you’re not careful. Try getting down on your dog’s level to see if there are any possible temptations you may have overlooked.
Wires
Possibly the worst hazard in your home are wires. Fun to chew on, it could take just a few seconds for your dog to electrocute themselves.
Garbage
Your garbage cans are full of things that are harmful, toxic, and even deadly to your dog. Foods such as onions, apple seeds, chocolate, and grapes are known to be hazardous, while fatty meats and spoiled food can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, such as pancreatitis. Additionally, household trash may contain sharp items like discarded razor blades, needles, and pins.
Related: 8 Best Dog-Proof Trash Cans
Bones
Cooked bones can splinter and cause choking or blockages in a dog’s digestive system.
Rawhide Chews
While marketed as dog treats, large pieces of rawhide can swell when ingested, leading to blockages.
House Plants
If you have a lily, dumbcane, elephant ear, or other house plant, you are putting your dog in danger. It is best to have fake plants if you have pet, just in case.
Rocks & Sticks
Small rocks, pebbles, or decorative stones from gardens can be ingested and cause blockages. While dogs famously love to chew on sticks, wood splinters can damage the mouth or throat, induce choking, or cause perforations in the trachea or intestines.
Containers
Things like empty peanut butter jars, glass jelly containers, and plastic bags can cause death by choking or suffocation. If your dog gets his head stuck in a contain while you are away, he could suffocate. Or, if he chews and eats it, the piece could block his esophagus, stomach or intestine, all potentially leading to death.
Over the Counter Medications & Supplements
Like kids, dogs will often get into over the counter drugs and wind up sick or even dead. Not only are medications a cause for concern, but supplements are just as dangerous. While vitamins make you feel better, if your dog eats too many of them (or the wrong ones), they could die.
Related: Best Postbiotics for Dogs
Mothballs
Those little balls that we throw into our sweater closet or boxes without a second thought to how they actually work or what they are made of, are dangerous. If you have ever read the package, it warns you to “avoid breathing the vapor.” This vapor is actually a chemical that has been shown to cause cancer in animals, damage to red blood cells, and other complications (depending on the exact chemical used). This is just from contact or breathing in. Imagine what would happen should your dog ingest a few?
Pesticides
Obviously something you use to kill another living being is not safe. It’s easy to forget in our gusto to get rid of unwanted houseguests that we may be endangering our beloved pets. While most insecticides do not lead to life-threatening symptoms, the chemicals in rodent poisons are another story. These toxins are almost always fatal if ingested. They work by preventing the blood from clotting properly, leading to internal bleeding and ultimately death.
Toledo, United States.
