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Pet Poisons in the Kitchen #MKHPMarchChallenge

Please note: This post is an educational resource for common pet poisons (i.e. not for emergencies). If you believe your pet has ingested something toxic, please visit the Pet Poison Helpline or ASPCA Poison Control site (includes horse toxicity information) for a more comprehensive list, or call them at 855-764-7661 or 888-426-4435 respectively.

This post was originally published on 9/3/2014 and has been updated to include more information for pet parents. 

So far for our March Challenge, we have learned about Pet Poisons in the yard. Today, I would like to talk more about common pet poisons in the kitchen. Of course, there is the most well-known kitchen poison: chocolate. However, there are other kitchen poisons that threaten your pets.

The below infographic from Vet-Medic discusses Treats versus Poisons. This infographic has been very popular ever since I posted it almost 1.5 years ago. So I thought it would be nice to expand on some of the items listed below.

Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most obvious kitchen poisons. However, the question is not whether or not your dog has consumed chocolate, but rather:

  • What kind of chocolate did your dog eat?
  • How much did they eat?
  • How much does your dog weigh?

The combination of the above information will determine how at risk your dog is and whether or not you have a problem on your hands. Here are some helpful tools to help:

Chocolate Toxicity Meter from PetMD

Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661

Onions & Garlic

A lot of pet parents don’t realize that onions and garlic are toxic to pets. In fact, other vegetables from this family are also considered toxic to dogs and cats including, chives and leeks. The toxic ingredient in these items is disulfide, which causes oxidative damage to the red blood cells and gastrointestinal upset. Some symptoms of toxicity in this case include:

Grapes & Raisins

Grapes and raisins seem harmless for dogs, but the reality is that the ingestion of either of these foods can cause sudden acute kidney failure. It is important to note that toxicity from these types of foods is not dependent on the amount. Some symptoms of grape or raise toxicity include (Pet Poison Helpline):

  • anorexia
  • diarrhea
  • vomiting
  • acute renal failure

*Also toxic to birds!

Xylitol or Artificial Sweetener

This toxin is found in a variety of kitchen items including; candies, gum, and mints. Not to mention, it is also an ingredient in mouthwash and toothpaste. Xylitol toxicity can have a sudden or delayed onset. However, if xylitol toxicity is not treated, it can be fatal. Symptoms of xylitol toxicity can include (VetStreet):

  • vomiting
  • lethargy

What You Have in Your Purse That Will Harm Your Pet


Caffeine

Caffeine is another item I would like to add. Caffeine is a cousin to the ingredient in chocolate that is poisonous to pets. Even just a few sips of coffee or tea, or even the ingestion of a diet pill, can cause high toxicity levels in pets. Additionally, if these symptoms are left untreated, it can be fatal. Symptoms of caffeine toxicity include (Pet Poison Helpline):

  • vomiting
  • elevated heart rate
  • seizures
  • high blood pressure
  • tremors
  • collapse

Avocado

Some resources state that avocado is toxic to dogs and cats, but upon further research, I believe it is only mildly toxic. Meaning, you still shouldn’t feed it to them and in large amounts it can be harmful, but the real risk is a foreign body due to the consumption of the pit. If this is the case, keep your eyes out for vomiting, diarrhea and a lack of bowel movements. Additionally, avocado is highly toxic to birds! Symptoms for birds include the inability to perch and heavy breathing (Pet Poison Helpline).

*Also toxic to birds!

Once again, we are looking at a long list of things that are in your home that threaten your pet. What is a pet parent to do?

  1. Training: In order to prevent toxicity, the best thing you can do is teach your pet kitchen manners. If your dog or cat spends less time in the kitchen, then they are that much less likely to accidentally ingest something that they shouldn’t.
  2. Build a Barrier: Sometimes the temptation to be in the kitchen while you are cooking is too great even for the most well-trained dogs. In this case, you might want to look into building a gate for them. For a list of plans & supplies to build your own Doggie Gate, I will defer you to Yellow Brick Home: Doggie Gate DIY. (P.S. I just found this site and if you like Home DIY projects and pets, you must check it out!)

So what do you think? Was there anything on this list that surprised you? How do you keep your pet safe from poisons in the kitchen?

 

medic.com/blog/2014/08/infographic-treats-vs-poison”> alt text

How to Design a Living Room with Your Pet in Mind #NewYearNewRoom

How to Decorate Your Living Room With Your Pet in Mind #ad

As a pet parent, it can be challenging to find the right balance of decor and necessity. This challenge becomes increasingly difficult if you live in a small rental space (like us!). This is why I am so excited to be taking part in Wayfair’s New Year, New Room campaign. We moved into this place last year, and only recently had an opportunity to start decorating our home.

This campaign inspired me to reassess our living room’s functionality and redesign with Rooney in mind.

I don’t know about you, but Rooney has a dog bed in every room of our 800-square -foot townhouse, in addition to his crate, toys, grooming products, and outdoor necessities (Let’s be honest, Rooney has a lot of stuff :)). It is really important to us that we provide Rooney with everything he needs while also keeping our home clean and organized. Since we live in a small rental space, this means maximizing functionality without losing our style.

My husband and I have a very eclectic home decor style. I would describe it as cozy, yet urban. Although we both love being in nature and appreciate the use of wood in our style, we also love living in an urban area and tend to gravitate toward bold colors. To accommodate Rooney in our living room style we had to consider the following things:

  1. Rooney’s own space. Every dog or cat should have their own designated space in your living room. This will encourage you to spend more time together, and can help protect some of your other furniture from being used by your pet. (For the record, Rooney has free reign at our house, but he loves to sleep in his crate).
  2. Shedding: Rooney is a shedding machine, so this came up when we started to consider colors and fabrics.
  3. Safety: While it may not seem like an issue, things like lamp wires and couch height can affect your pet’s safety.

So, with the above items in mind, we went to work thinking about the pieces we would like to update in our living room, and how we could accommodate Rooney’s needs:

Couch

The couch needs to be moderate to small in size due to the space we have available in our living room. However, it needs to be big enough to comfortably sit Rooney, Matt and myself. The second most important aspect of the couch is color. The current couch we have is brown. While it is the perfect fabric, I don’t love the color. Not only does it not match much of our other decor, but it also strongly contrasts Rooney’s fur which makes his shedding more obvious. This couch in their Stone color would work great for our small townhouse. Not only does it allow us to sit down and watch movies as a family, but it also multitasks as a hide-a-bed which is crucial since we don’t have a guest room.

Harvest Sleeper Sofa

Harvest Sleeper Sofa

Regular Price: From $572.90

Rug

This is the one item that we already have but is central to the refresh of our living room. The walls in our living room are gray, and we don’t get a ton of natural light. Therefore, we needed something to brighten the room. The very first thing we purchased for our townhouse was this perfect rug from Wayfair. I choose this rug specifically to add color, hide stains and give Rooney space to run around with traction. When you are looking for a rug or carpet for your home, here is what you should keep in mind:

    1. Does the carpet have any loops that might snag your pet’s nails?
    2. Is the carpet going to be difficult to vacuum? This is a really important question if your pet sheds significantly.
    3. What color will blend well with your pet’s hair and also hide any stains from the yard?
Sydney Geo Helix Navy Blue Area Rug

Sydney Geo Helix Navy Blue Area Rug

Regular Price: From $75.95

Lighting

It may seem like there isn’t much to figure out regarding pets and lighting. However, there might be more to consider than you think.

  1. Does your dog or cat become interested in wires? If so, you may want to consider only using permanent light fixtures so that you can avoid exposed wires. If you rent, you might want to consider cord covers.
  2. Is your dog or cat likely to knock over floor lamps? If so, you may want to consider lighting that is mounted on the walls or ceiling.

Although we would love to design our living room with mounted lighting to avoid wire hazards, we have to be creative since we are renters. Therefore, we have created an excellent corner space to put a floor lamp that is out of Rooney’s way. I specifically chose this lamp because it isn’t complex. It doesn’t have a lot of different arms (increasing the chance it will get knocked over), nor does it have a tripod base that puts Rooney at risk of tripping over it.

Solstice 58" Floor Lamp

Solstice 58 Floor Lamp

Regular Price: From $96.90

Curtains

Initially, we never thought twice about curtains or drapes having anything to do with pets. However, if you have a dog that sheds and likes to hang out near the window, this changes everything. We used to have brown curtains downstairs, and the bottom 2 feet would be coated in Rooney’s hair all the time. Even if we washed them, they would only stay clean for a few days and then…BAM! More Rooney hair. So I currently have my heart set on these curtains in Yellow 🙂

I think the Yellow will be a great addition to the blue carpet and gray walls. Additionally, it should hide Rooney’s fur a bit better.

Weathermate Solid Cotton Grommet Top Curtain (Set of 2)

Weathermate Solid Cotton Grommet Top Curtain (Set of 2)

Regular Price: From $44.63

Dual Purpose Furniture

Wherever possible, it helps to be able to integrate furniture that can serve more than one purpose. For example, having a coffee table that also serves as blanket storage can be tremendously helpful for improving the flow of a small space. When you are a pet parent, it can be even more necessary to combine the needs of your pet with your living areas. This crate/end table would give Rooney his own small bed in our living room while simultaneously serving as an end table. I love this and can’t wait to have it in our home!
EcoFLEX Pet Crate End Table

EcoFLEX Pet Crate End Table

Regular Price: From $104.49
So that concludes my list of things to consider when decorating your home as a pet parent. Did you find this list helpful? What other things do you consider when decorating your home with your pet in mind?

How to Design a Living Room with your pet in Mind #ad

DISCLOSURE: I am also a Wayfair Homemaker Featured Blogger. I have been compensated in exchange for providing my opinion. However, My Kid Has Paws only discusses products I truly believe in and feel would be useful to my readers.

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