What to do if you think your pet is poisoned

If your pet just ingested something toxic, calm down! While it's very stressful, know that the more calm, cool, and collected you are, the sooner you can seek the correct medical attention. First, get a handle on the situation by following these guidelines:

1) Immediately remove your pet from the area, and make sure no other pets (or kids!) are exposed to this area. Safely remove any remaining poisonous material from their reach.

2) Check to make sure your pet is breathing normally and acting fine otherwise.

3) Collect a sample of the material, along with the packaging, vial, or container, and save it - you will need all that information when you talk to your veterinarian or to a Pet Poison Helpline expert.

4) Do NOT give your dog any milk, food, salt, oil, or any other home remedies! Also, never inducing vomiting without talking to your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline - it may actually be detrimental or contraindicated to induce vomiting!

5) Get help. Program your veterinarian phone number, along with an ER vet and Pet Poison Helpline's phone number (1-800-213-6680) in your cell phone so you have immediate access to help.

Keep in mind that the prognosis is always better when a toxicity is reported immediately, so don't wait to see if your pet becomes symptomatic before calling for help. It's always less expensive, and safer for your pet for you to call immediately. Remember that there's a narrow window of time when we can decontaminate (induce vomiting or pump the stomach) in the cases of poisonings!