Top 10 List of Substances Most Dangerous to Your Pets

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Following is the list of the top ten most dangerous poisons for pets. The complete description can be read for each category by clicking the link. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Releases List of Top 10 Hazards Encountered by Pets in 2006 New List Reveals Significant Increase in Calls Pertaining to Common Household Items 1. Human Medications: For several years now, this category has been number one on the ASPCA’s list of common hazards, and 2006 was no exception. Last year, more than 78,000 calls involving common human drugs such as painkillers, cold medications, antidepressants and dietary supplements. 2. Insecticides: The APCC handled more than 27,000 cases pertaining to products used to kill fleas, ticks and other insects in 2006, up more than 28 percent from 2005. 3. Veterinary Medications: Surprising as it may seem, last year the APCC managed more than 12,000 cases involving animal-related preparations such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements—a 93 percent hike in volume. 4. Plants: The number of cases involving plants also shot up by more than 111 percent in 2006 to more than 9,300. Some varieties that can be harmful to pets include lilies, azalea, rhododendron, sago palm, kalanchoe and schefflera. 5. Rodenticides: Last year, approximately 8,800 calls about rat and mouse poisons were received by the APCC, representing an increase of more than 27 percent over 2005. 6. Household Cleaners: In 2006, approximately 7,200 calls pertaining to cleaning agents such as bleaches, detergents and disinfectants were received—up 38 percent from the year before. 7. Chocolate: Always a common food-related call, more than 4,800 chocolate calls were received by the APCC last year, an 85 percent increase from 2005. 8. Chemical Hazards: A newcomer to the top 10 category, this includes such harmful items as volatile petroleum-based products, alcohols, acids, and gases. In 2006, the APCC received more than 4,100 calls related to chemical hazards—an astronomical jump in call volume of more than 300 percent. 9. Physical Hazards: While not necessarily all toxic, items in this group consists of objects that could pose a choking hazard, risk for intestinal obstruction, or other physical injury, and in 2006, the number of physical hazard calls grew a staggering 460 percent to over 3,800. 10. Home Improvement Products: In 2006, approximately 2,100 cases involving paint, solvents, expanding glues and other products commonly used in construction were managed by the APCC—up 17 percent from 2005. http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_030507