Dogs love to eat things they shouldn’t and as our pets can’t communicate with us verbally, it’s up to us to pay attention to the warning signs to look out for. To analyze signs of poisoning in dogs, we listed below common symptoms to study, as well as common products or food to keep out of reach for preventative measures.

If you already know your dog has been poisoned or see any behaviors that are out of the ordinary, call your veterinarian immediately as it’s always best practice to be safe. If you know your dog has ingested a toxin, it’s important to seek help even if you do not see a physical reaction. Signs of poisoning in dogs do not always present themselves right away and in some cases can take months to reveal. If you do not have a vet, these hotlines are available to you: Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661, or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at 888-426-4435. 

If your dog displays any of these symptoms listed below, it is possible they have ingested, inhaled, or had skin contact with a toxin:

• Agitation
• Tremors & convulsions
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Seizures
• Abnormal heartbeat and difficulty breathing
• Excessive bleeding or bruising
• Nosebleeds
• Excessive panting
• Oral irritation, pale gums
• Unable to urinate
• Drooling or excessive saliva production
• Dry heaving
• Pale gums

In order to prevent future intoxication, make sure to keep your dog away from:

• Medications such as Tylenol, Advil, and antidepressants
• Human food such as chocolate, onions, raisins, grapes, mushrooms, and cyanide (most commonly found in fruits like cherries, apples, pears, elderberries, almonds, and clover.) 
• Household products such as bleach, oven cleaner, detergents, gasoline, furniture polish, drain cleaners, antifreeze, and extermination products.
• Plants such as fungi, yew trees, acorns, dieffenbachia, tobacco, thorn apples to name a few. As there are many plants that can be harmful to dogs, aim to stay away from all plants. 
• Toxins such as rodent, slug/slug pellets, or snail poisoning. It’s important to note that not all poisons affect a dog the same way, so if you are able to seek out the information, make sure to tell your vet which toxin it was. 
• Water isn’t poisonous in the proper dosage, but it’s worth mentioning that a large amount of water in a short time period can cause hyponatremia. This is preventable by monitoring your dogs’ water play and encouraging slow drinking.

If you first notice a missing product or food, check if your dog is displaying any common symptoms from above. If possible, recover any product to bring with you to the vet in order to speed along the professional treatment and diagnosis. Educating yourself on signs of poisoning in dogs can be very useful ahead of time so that the high-stress situation can be as smooth as possible to assure the safety of your pet. Email or call us at info@fomapets.org and (305) 854-2800.