Your Dog's Health: Possible Hidden Dangers In Your Home
Posted on: 9 April 2015
When you bring your new puppy home from the shelter where you adopted him or her, you try to make sure that you are as prepared as possible. You make sure that you have food, a leash, toys, and a bed for them. You have ensured that your yard is safe and secure for the puppy to go outside. However, there may be hidden dangers in your home that could cause major health emergencies for your dog. While a trip to the animal hospital will resolve most problems you have with your dog getting into things they shouldn't, you should be aware of some of the possible hidden dangers in your home so that you can act accordingly.
Pest Traps
When you find yourself struggling with a pest problem, whether it be mice or a bug infestation, you often place traps in the locations nearest to where you spotted them. However, these traps, particularly those that use any type of poison can be dangerous and even deadly to dogs.
The poison used in ant and roach traps is designed specifically to smell appealing to those creatures. The scent attracts them, they consume the poison, and they die. However, the problem is that this scent is also appealing to dogs.
If your dog sniffs around and finds those pest traps, they will more than likely chew on and eat a portion of the trap. This can result in major digestive problems starting with vomiting and diarrhea, and could eventually lead to death. So, if you use pest traps, try to avoid those that use poison if possible. And if your dog does get into such traps, take them to the emergency vet or animal hospital immediately for treatment.
Asthma Inhalers
Dogs and especially puppies are always exploring and often are looking for something they can chew on. As such, you need to be careful about what you leave around that they could easily get into, jump up and grab, or even knock off of a table or dresser by jumping against or bumping into it.
One example that could be quite deadly is an asthma inhaler. The medication inside of your inhaler is actually liquid, which means the puffs of medication you inhale represent a very small amount of that liquid mixed with air. And, unfortunately, this liquid medication smells sweet and desirable to dogs.
If they get to your inhaler, it is not difficult for them to bite into the canister holding the liquid and to consume some of it. This concentrated medication is highly dangerous to your dog. Even a small amount can result in heart palpitations, respiratory distress, and even sudden cardiac arrest.
It is vital that if your dog nabs your inhaler to rush them to the animal hospital. Consuming the liquid medication is not always fatal for dogs, but the longer you wait to get them to a veterinarian, the less likely they are to survive.
Being aware of the possible hidden dangers in your home will help you to keep your new puppy safe and healthy in your home. So, keep these factors in mind and take the necessary steps to protect your pet. Talk to a professional like Lamb's Gap Animal Hospital should complications arise.
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