Ref: http://animalcare.my/2012/04/06/always-read-the-labels/
Maneki left this comment on my earlier post and in case some of you do not read the comments section, I feel a great urgency to share this:
I remember the time one of my friends liberally sprayed her cat with her dog’s flea spray, which contained permethrin — exceedingly toxic to cats. She found the cat frothing at the mouth and in a seizure. She raced him to the vet who immediately asked if she’d treated him for fleas lately. When she left the clinic, her cat was on a drip and medication, but the vet gave her scant hope that he would survive.
She got home, read the label on the flea spray, and it was there in large, bold letters: FOR USE ON DOGS ONLY. She was devastated. I have to say, it seems surprising that something beneficial to dogs might be toxic to cats, but there you have it. You’re absolutely right, the moral of the story is to read every label carefully and never give an animal a medication or treatment not approved for usage on that species. My friend’s cat did survive, by the way, but it was a terrifying experience, and we think he used up 3 or 4 of his 9 lives, at least.
Comments
3 responses to “Please read the labels, Part 2”
Thanks for the info, Dr Chan. Like chemicals, certain food that is harmless to dogs may bring fatality to cats, garlic for instance. I read that garlic, onion, green tomatoes, grapes and raisins are poisonous to cats. So it’s best to do research before giving anything new to them, just like you would for your children. And when applying mite or flea medication, best to wear gloves as the toxins can seep into our bodies via the pores on our hands. Harmful for our liver.
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/poisonous_foods.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/foods_poisonous_to_pets.html
Some links for information.
Thank you.
Just a sharing, chocolate to dog is lethal.
There is one common ingredient in dog flea repellent called limonene which is harmful for cats. Limonene can be found in human insect repellents and human cleaning products too. There is another common ingredient in human and other pet food, which is sodium benzoate. It is a very common preservative found in almost all human processed foods (especially sauces). Check your sauce bottles and you can find it listed somewhere among the last few ingredients. Cats have been found to have lower tolerance for it and can get sick from digesting it.