Be careful with what you are using in your garden!

As some of you know, I am a huge pet lover and I also love to garden. I just read this article about how your pets are sometimes more vulnerable to pesticide poisoning than us humans. My dogs love to go out to the front lawn and eat grass, nose around the yard sniffing and sometimes eating things they find and then they lick themselves clean afterward. All of that means they may be at risk of chemical poisoning and some other health problems.

Below is an excerpt from the story regarding pesticides:

Numerous studies have documented the risk of pesticides to pets over the years. A 1991 National Cancer Institute study found that dogs whose owners' lawns were treated with 2,4-D four or more times per year are twice as likely to contract canine malignant lymphoma than dogs whose owners do not use the herbicide. Exposure to herbicide-treated lawns and gardens increases the risk of bladder cancer by four to seven times in Scottish Terriers, according to a study by Purdue University veterinary researchers published in the April 15, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Research published in the December 1988 issue of Preventive Veterinary Medicine links hyperthyroidism in cats to flea powders and sprays, lawn pesticides and canned cat food. Allethrin, a common ingredient in home mosquito products (coils, mats, oils and sprays) and other bug sprays, has been linked to liver problems in dogs, according to a 1989 study by the World Health Organization. The 1989 edition W.C. Campbell Toxicology textbook reports that chronic exposure to abamectin, an insecticide often used by homeowners on fire ants, can affect the nervous system of dogs and cause symptoms such as pupil dilation, lethargy and tremors. According to 2004 statistics compiled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center, 22 percent of approximately 880 cases of pet birds being exposed to common household toxins involved pesticides (including rat bait and insecticides).

For more information about harmful pesticides go to:
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Fall%2007/pets.pdf

And if you suspect your animal has been poisoned, take him/her to the vet immediately.