{"id":1257,"date":"2017-09-02T10:46:27","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T10:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aercmn.com\/?p=1257"},"modified":"2017-09-02T10:46:27","modified_gmt":"2017-09-02T10:46:27","slug":"back-to-school-part-i-pet-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/back-to-school-part-i-pet-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School Part I: Pet Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cMy dog ate my homework.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve all heard that famous excuse. But is it just an excuse? I\u2019ve learned, through both personal and professional experiences, it\u2019s actually legitimate! When I was a kid, my Aussie ate my big brother\u2019s math homework right off his desk. Professionally, I have seen dogs eat several types of projects.<\/p>\n<p>So, what are the back-to-school dangers for pets?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1221 alignright\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/963_4325558-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>Sugar-free gum containing\u00a0<strong>xylitol<\/strong>\u00a0(a sugar substitute). Sure, gum helps with fresh breath, and maybe even concentration. However, xylitol is uniquely toxic to dogs, causing both low blood sugar and\/or liver failure. Do NOT keep gum in your backpack or within your dog\u2019s reach!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Homemade\u00a0<\/strong><strong>playdough<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s cheap, it\u2019s easy, and it\u2019s so smooshy! Unfortunately, it also smells good, and many dogs will try to eat it. Homemade playdough is made with extreme amounts of salt. This can cause changes in sodium that can lead to seizures or brain swelling. Keep it well away from your dog.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fidget spinners and other toys<\/strong>. While most toys and small objects may not be specifically toxic, they may be very interesting for curious pups to chew on. When non-digestible objects are swallowed, they could cause a blockage in the stomach or intestines. Certain toys may even cause anemia. Keep toys stowed away where pets cannot access them.<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1258 alignright\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1343_5597793-300x178.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"178\" \/>Lunch. Grapes and raisins may be great healthy lunch options, and chocolate is a nice snack. However, these items, along with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspca.org\/pet-care\/animal-poison-control\/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">some other foods<\/a>, are toxic to your pets. Make sure that lunchboxes gets cleaned up and put away as soon as you get home to prevent your pets from helping themselves.If your pet gets into any of these items, please come in right away! The sooner we know, the more we can help avoid a crisis!To learn about separation anxiety in pets during the school year,\u00a0<a href=\"\/blog\/back-to-school-part-ii-separation-anxiety\/\">click here<\/a>\u00a0for Part II!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cMy dog ate my homework.\u201d We\u2019ve all heard that famous excuse. But is it just an excuse? I\u2019ve learned, through both personal and professional experiences, it\u2019s actually legitimate! When I was a kid, my Aussie ate my big brother\u2019s math homework right off his desk. Professionally, I have seen dogs eat several types of projects. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Back to School Part I: Pet Safety | Animal Emergency &amp; Referal Center of Minnesota<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aercmn.com\/blog\/back-to-school-part-i-pet-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Back to School Part I: Pet Safety | Animal Emergency &amp; Referal Center of Minnesota\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cMy dog ate my homework.\u201d We\u2019ve all heard that famous excuse. 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