Laundry Detergent Pods Poisoning

A report about thousands of children poisoned by laundry detergent pods, according to journal Pediatrics study there are 17,230 cases were children 6 years old and below ingested, inhaled or had skin or eye injury caused by laundry detergent pods in 2012-2013. The research was done by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. They also said that 769 kids in the U.S. were hospitalized and one child died after ingesting a laundry detergent pod. 30 of the children went into comas and 12 suffered seizures.

Laundry detergent pods are single-use packs that is colored bright similar to candies. They are easy to use, just drop it in the washer no need to measure. These laundry detergent pods are not just dangerous to children but also your pets. Pets may mistake them as toys. Detergents contains harmful chemicals known as ionic and anionic surfactants. If your pets ingest a large amount it can be deadly, and chemicals in the detergent pods are more deadly since they are concentrated compared to bottled detergents.

The most common sign when your pet ingest a laundry detergent pod is vomiting. You will see your pets vomit has foam. These foam can be inhaled and can suffocate your pets.

What to do if your pets ingest laundry detergent?

1. Call your veterinarian immediately
2. If it turns out to be a minor ingestion and there are no vomiting, your vet may tell you to give your pet water or milk to weaken the effects of the poison.
3. If the detergent gets on your pets coat you will need rinse it with water immediately.
4. If you pet can't breath and vomits a lot take your pet to the vet immediately.

Remember prevention is always better than care, so keep all laundry products in a safe place away from pets and kids.

Please Don't Give Your PET POISON

If you think you are giving your pet treats, think again you may be giving your beloved pets poison. If you are eating tasty food and your pet stares at you looking so adorable, don't give them your leftover if it contains human food that are poison to pets. 

Check out the very useful infographic from vet-medic.com, that identifies food that can harm your dog. It also offers healthy treats that you can give your dogs.

Rule of the Thumb:
"Hard treats such as bones, can damage teeth. If you can push your thumbnail into a treat and it leaves a mark, it's probably safe. The same rule applies for chew toys."

"No food is right for every dog, so watch what they eat, and make sure that you're the one setting the menu."

Poison:

sausages - contains preservatives that can cause thiamine deficiency. Contains Sulphites
Cooked bones - can splinter and damage dog's intestine.
cow's milk - most dogs are lactose intolerant
onions and garlic - can cause Heinz body anemia, contains disulphide
cakes, sweets, artificial sweeteners and mints - artificial sweeteners can cause dog's blood sugar to drop dangerously low that can cause seizure, vomiting, liver failure, and coma. Contains Xylitol
Human Chocolate - acts as stimulant that can cause diarrhea, high heart rate, muscle tremors and seizures. Contains methylxanthines, theobromine, and caffeine
Grapes and raisins - contains toxins that can cause sudden development of kidney failure within 48 hours of snacking. Contains Mycotoxin.
Anti-freeze - can cause vomiting, diarrhea and breathing difficulties. contains Ethylene glycol.

ASPCA Top 10 Toxins that poison pets in 2013

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center located in Urbana, Illinois has release a report that they have received nearly 180,000 cases about household pets exposed to possibly poisonous substances in 2013. Prescription human medications is the top toxins in the list for 6 years in a row. About 20% of all the calls were about pets that ingest medicines for humans.

Here are the rest of the list: (ranked in order of call volume)

1. Prescription Human Medications - APCC received 24,673 cases about pets ingesting human prescription drugs in 2013.

The top 3 medications that pets are exposed to are: heart medications (blood pressure pills), antidepressants and pain medications (opioids and prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Most of the cases are owners dropped the pills and the pets got it first.

2. Insecticides - (15.7% of all calls is related to insecticides) most of the cases are cat related. Insecticides should be properly stored away from pets or it should be in a cabinet or box that can't be access by pets.

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications - (14.7% of calls) most commonly are medicines with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, herbal, and nutraceutical.

4. Household Products - Household toxins that pets have access to includes fire logs to cleaning products.

5. People Food - people foods that are toxic to pets are onions/garlic, grapes/raisins and xylitol (sugar substitute  that is harmful to animals).

6. Veterinary Products and Medications

7. Chocolate - do not give your pets Chocolate, too much of it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures.

8. Rodenticides - this can cause your beloved pets internal bleeding, kidney failure or seizures.

9. Plants - my dog really loves to eat plants. Most plants are harmless to pets but there are those which can be toxic like lilies which can cause kidney failure and death in cats.

10. Lawn and Garden Products - Fertilizers usually made from dried blood, poultry manure and bone meal are very attractive to pets so make sure to keep them in a safe place.

source: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/top-pet-toxins-2013

Other toxins that's dangerous to your pets are: Sago Palm (can lead to liver failure), Antifreeze (tasty to pets but is very harmful), and Yeast dough.