PARK HILL VET BY DR. MARGOT VAHRENWALD
Home...Sometimes It’s the Most Dangerous Place for Your Pet Don’t they say that most accidents affecting humans happen at home? Well, the same holds true for our pets. Poisoning from a variety of sources is high on the list of reasons your pet might need emergency veterinary care someday. Additionally, the care and treatment for a pet poisoning can lead to an expensive hospital stay and the risk of long-term complications. The best protection for your pets (and children) is to keep all the following items safely put away where intentional and unintentional contact cannot be made. We’ll start in the kitchen. What dangers lurk here? First, many of us keep our own prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications along with our pets’ here. Accidental ingestion of human or pet medications is the number one call made to poisoning hotlines such as the ASPCA. And, if you’re like me, the purse or kids’ backpacks land here as well and might be hiding xylitol-containing gum – a baddie if eaten by your dog. Many human medications are of significant danger to our pets if ingested. For example, a single tablet of acetaminophen can kill a small cat. And, many of the OTC topical parasite treatments also contain ingredients highly toxic to cats and some smaller dogs. To make the administration of medications easier, many prescription veterinary products are flavored – great for taking needed medicine, but not good when Fido eats the whole vial of pills. What else is in the kitchen? Foods such as bread dough, grapes, raisins and onions can make pets nastily sick and, for some dogs, grapes and raisins can lead to acute life-threatening kidney failure. Chocolate toxicity is another frequent poisoning call. The darker the chocolate, the worse its effects can be on a pet. Household cleaning products are not necessarily life-threatening, but can cause burns and/ or bad digestive upset that are painful for your pet and no fun to clean up after. Medication-wise the bathroom is right up there with the kitchen, but the next most dangerous area of the home
is the garage. Where do you store many caustic or poisonous products? Check your shelves and garage floors for brake fluid, antifreeze, rodenticides, pesticides, insecticides and other products. These should be stored properly to prevent pets (and children) access. Next, the garden, and if you have a green thumb, some indoor plants as well offer a smorgasbord of possible toxic delicacies along with the products used to keep those plants healthy. Avoid placing cacao bark mulch where dogs can access as its effects will be similar to chocolate toxicity. The single best way to prevent poisoning is to keep all medications, household chemicals, etc. put away out of reach of pets. This article only skims the surface of potential dangers lurking in your home; to get more information, visit the websites below. In the event that your pet has ingested something unknown, never hesitate to CALL, don’t Google™, your veterinarian, nearest veterinary emergency facility or the pet/people poison hotlines listed below. Stay safe! ASPCA – Animal Poison Control Center 24 hour hotline – 888-426-4435 (fee service on involved calls) aspca.org/home/pet-care/poison-control Pet Poison Helpline 24 hour hotline – 800-213-6680 petpoisonhelpline.com – also has an iPhone app Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center 24 hour hotline – 800-222-1222 rmpdc.org Margot Vahrenwald, DVM and ASVJ, is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida Street. For more information, visit parkhillvet.com..
From the Thursday, February 7 meeting of the GPHC D2 Police Report Officer Reyes Trujillo reviewed crime stats, 2800 Fairfax street lights, and three recent thefts of electronics from motor vehicles. Encouraged neighbors to leave porch and back lights on to prevent crime. Nonemergency number: 720-913-2000. 4th of July Parade Parade organizer Justin Bresler discussed the plans underway for the fourth annual 4th of July Parade. The Denver Police, who handle street closures, have two parade events before Park Hill’s, which necessitates the afternoon start. GPHC handles liability insurance for the event. Info: parkhillparade.org.
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be well Centers The Stapleton Foundation’s Ty Crawford touted the two be well centers at Hiawatha Davis and Central Park Rec Centers that are offering free fitness classes and health screenings to the community. Info: bewellconnect.net. Denver Energy Challenge Program Administrator Julie Carlton discussed the City of Denver’s free energy advisement program, which also connects homeowners to qualified contractors and low interest loans for energy improvements to their homes. Info: denverenergy.org. Colfax Main Street Coalition Dave Wilmoth, Brownsfield Co-Coordinator with the Department of Environmental Health, presented information on the program, which is a partnership between the cities of Denver and Lakewood and the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. The partnership formed in 2011 with the purpose of applying for and utilizing a brownfields assessment grant from the EPA to perform environmental site assessments along the Colfax Avenue corridor. Info: colfaxmainstreetcoalition.org. Park Hill Garage Sale Cherry Creek Properties LLC’s Nina Kuhl discussed the collaborative effort between realtors from her office and the GPHC to hold a community-wide Park Hill garage sale to take place April 27 from 8 a.m. to noon. Registrants will be included on the GPHC Garage Sale Google map and receive a free garage sale how-to kit. Info: GPHCyardsale@ymail.com. The GPHC holds regular monthly community meetings on the first Thursday of every month. To receive an agenda in advance, sign up for the newsletter at greaterparkhill.org/the-newspaper/monthly-newsletter. The Greater Park Hill News | Mar. 2013
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