Small pills, BIG PROBLEMS:
Simple Tips for Preventing Accidental Pet Poisoning
- Avoid mix-ups—never store your pet's medication next to your own
- Store medications and weekly pill containers in secure, raised bathroom cabinets
- Don't store loose pills in plastic zip-top bags
- Ask visiting houseguests to keep their medications high up or out of reach
Top Toxic Human Medications
Safe pet-proofing starts with your medicine cabinet. Medications that are perfectly safe for humans can be deadly
for pets. Half of all calls to Pet Poison Helpline® are for
ingestion of human medications.
Pain relievers
Just one pill can cause serious stomach and intestinal
ulcers, kidney failure, liver damage and red blood
cell injury.
Sleep aids
These drugs can cause agitation, severe lethargy, lack
of coordination and slowed breathing.
Antidepressants
Ingestion can cause dangerously elevated heart rate and
body temperature, as well as life-threatening tremors
and seizures.
Top 10 Toxic Human Medications
- NSAID pain relievers
(e.g. Advil®, Aleve®, Motrin®)
- Acetaminophen pain relievers
(e.g. Tylenol®)
- Antidepressants
(e.g. Effexor®, Cymbalta®, Prozac®, Lexapro®)
- ADD/ADHD medications
(e.g. Concerta®, Adderall®, Ritalin®)
- Sleep aids
(e.g. Xanax®, Klonopin®, Ambien®, Lunesta®)
- Birth control
(e.g. estrogen, estradiol, progesterone)
- ACE inhibitor heart medications
(e.g. Zestril®, Altace®)
- Beta-blocker heart medications
(e.g. Tenormin®, Toprol®, Coreg®)
- Thyroid hormones
(e.g. Armour® desiccated thyroid, Synthroid®)
- Cholesterol lowering agents
(e.g. Lipitor®, Zocor®, Crestor®)
Avoiding Pet Poisoning Tragedies
Whether your pet overdoses on, has an adverse reaction to or accidentally ingests
medication, drug toxicity is a serious matter.
When using any sort of medication—prescription or over-the-counter—take extra
precautions to ensure that they stay out of your pet's reach. Ask for child-proof caps,
tightly close all containers, store drugs in secure cabinets and properly dispose of
expired medications.
Also, beware of flavored medications. Candy-coated pain relievers, chocolate-flavored
vitamins and sweetened cough syrups can be irresistible to pets, so be sure to keep
these kinds of drugs safely out of reach.
From avoiding pet poisoning to understanding
why bones are bad for dogs, responsible pet ownership means being informed. Helpful
"Ask the Vet" videos from VPI feature expert veterinarians who offer insights on
important pet health topics. Watch them now at the VPI HealthZone.
10 Most Common Pet Toxins
Hidden Hazards in Your Home
Pet Poison Helpline receives thousands of calls each year about pet poisoning
accidents that could have been avoided. Check to see if you have any of these
pet toxins in your home, and remove them from your pet's reach.
Ten Most Common Dog Toxins
1. Chocolate 2. Insect bait stations 3. Rodenticides (e.g. mouse and rat poison)
4. Fertilizers 5. Xylitol-containing products (e.g. sugar-free gums and candies)
6. Ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin® in brand name or generic form) 7. Acetaminophen
(Tylenol® in brand name or generic form) 8. Silica gel packs
9. Amphetamines, such as ADD/ADHD drugs 10. Household cleaners
Chocolate
Different forms of chocolate have different levels of toxicity. Compared to milk chocolate, unsweetened baking chocolate has much higher levels of the chemical that is toxic to pets.
Fertilizers
Some fertilizers contain organophosphates
carbamates, which can be harmful or even
deadly to pets if ingested.
Rodenticides
Even if these poisons, most often sold in pellet form,
are used away from pets, rodents can carry them to
pet-occupied areas.
Ten Most Common Cat Toxins
1. Lilies
2. Canine permethrin insecticides (topical flea and tick medicine designed for dogs but erroneously applied to cats)
3. Household cleaners
4. Rodenticides
5. Paints and varnishes
6. Veterinary non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. Rimadyl®, Deramaxx®)
7. Glow sticks/glow jewelry 8. Amphetamines, such as ADD/ADHD drugs 9. Acetaminophen (Tylenol® in brand name or generic form) 10. Ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin®
brand name or generic form)
Lilies
Certain types of lilies are highly toxic
to cats. Severe kidney failure can result
from ingestion of even a few leaves.
If you suspect that your pet has ingested something harmful, call for veterinary advice right away. Be sure to have the following information ready when calling:
- What your pet ingested and when
- How much your pet ingested (how many pills, what milligram strength, etc.)
- Your pet's current weight
- Your pet's known medical history, including any medications
Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.*
Household cleaners
Be sure there's adequate ventilation when using any
chemicals, thoroughly wipe up spills, tightly close bottles
containers and stow them safely in cabinets that pets
cannot pry open.
New VPI® Policyholder Portal Feature Allows for Simple Password Resets
Have you visited VPI® Policyholder Portal lately? If so, you've probably noticed a new security feature at login: Policyholders are now required to set up a security question and answer
to use the online VPI Policyholder Portal. It's an added layer of security and convenience for policyholders.
If you forget your password, you can now reset it in a matter of minutes, without
having to wait for a temporary password to be e-mailed to you. Simply answer your
security question, and you'll be able to reset your password on the spot.
"This new Portal functionality is a valuable time-saver," explains Daniel Barsky,
VPI Customer Care manager. "Our policyholders no longer have to be inconvenienced
by a forgotten password."
The VPI Policyholder Portal gives you the freedom to manage your account, view claims
history and status, download forms and more. Log on to my.petinsurance.com to
set up a free account or to learn more.
Submit Claims by E-mail
Did you know you can now submit claims by e-mail? It's just three easy steps:
- Fill out a claim form as you would normally do.
- Scan your completed claim form and itemized veterinarian's invoice.
- E-mail the form and invoice(s) to submitmyclaim@petinsurance.com.
That's all it takes! Before e-mailing a claim for the first time, be sure to
log in to your VPI Policyholder Portal account at my.petinsurance.com
for important information about the proper document types you'll need.
2011 Hambone Award Nominees
Pet hazards aren't always as obvious as the medicine cabinet. As some of the recent
stories from the VPI Hambone Award
SM prove, pet accidents can happen almost anywhere.
Really Angry Birds
Harley
This May 2011 Hambone Award nominee was eating his food on the patio
when a seagull dropped in and decided to fight for some kibble. Fortunately, Harley's
"big sister" Brandy, a Rottweiler, came out just in time to scare off the intruder and
spare Harley any serious injury. After a quick trip to the veterinarian, Harley was
back to normal in no time.
Sticky Situations
Potato This 5-year-old English bulldog was minding his own business at home
when his owner's unsuccessful attempt to open a tube of superglue sent the sticky
substance all over the pup's face. Potato's owner acted quickly and washed out the
bulldog's glue-filled eye with saline solution. Potato's veterinarian carefully removed
the rest of the superglue for a full recovery.