Keeping your pet safe means making sure its environment is safe - which means protecting it from getting into anything that might harm it. Sharing some things with your pet could make it sick (or worse).
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This week has been National Poison Prevention Week, a good time to consider common household items that can be harmful to our four-footed companions.
Most pet owners know not to give their furry friends chocolate. Dark chocolate is more of a threat, but enough of any chocolate can make an animal sick and could be toxic.
Certain foods can harm our pets, especially those containing grapes or raisins, but anything with garlic, onion, avocado or macadamia nuts could hurt our pets.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener found in a wide variety of candy, gum and snacks, even some breath mints and breath freshener strips. It doesn’t take much Xylitol to cause fatal liver failure in a dog. Keep any artificially sweetened items away from your pet.
Never give your pet over-the-counter medications or pain relievers without checking with your veterinarian first.
And keep fabric softener sheets away from your furry buddy. They can cause indigestion, ulcers in the mouth or esophagus, and fever for the pet that chews on them.
National Poison Prevention Week happens only once a year – in March – but it is a good reminder to keep your pet safe all year long.
Alabama Public Radio fund drives don’t happen every day, either - but when they do, they serve as a good reminder to us that we need to take care of our public radio station.
After all, just like some of our four-footed friends, Alabama Public Radio is a faithful companion that’s friendly and inquisitive, that’s responsive and loyal, that is there for you around the clock – and one that will follow you wherever you go.
And just like your pet, it’s up to you (up to all of us, really) to keep APR healthy. It takes a caring owner to make a great pet, and it takes caring listeners to make a great public radio station.
You can be a part of what makes it great, by caring enough to go online to apr.org/GIVE to make a contribution - when you’re speaking of Alabama Public Radio.
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