Pet Poison Prevention  It's really important for all of us to keep our household cleaners and yard chemicals away from our pets and of course our children. Even products we think of as "safe" like germ killers and disinfectants or even essential oils can and are harmful to our furry friends. If you have a curious pet, use child safety locks on your cabinets or store chemicals in top shelf cabinets. We are so careful in our home I don't even have drain cleaners in the house, I use baking soda and vinegar which I lock up. Animals are curious and they are attracted by the smells and odors cleaning products have. The odors are in the cleaning chemicals so humans feel or sense that cleaning has occurred -- to our pets it all smells like something yummy to lick or eat. So, what do you do if you think your pet is poisoned? If you think your pet has ingesting something by licking, eating or sniffing call your vet immediately. Know the name and if possible the purpose of the suspected poison The active ingredients and if possible how much your pet might have ingested How long ago did your pet ingested the chemical What's the age and weight of your pet What are the symptoms? Are they drinking water, eating, the color of their gums Many of us are now using natural cleaning products. Research has not shown that green environmentally safe products are safe for our pets to ingest. Essential oils, which are in many green-cleaning products, can cause issues with the olfactory systems of our pets. Use common sense and keep your pets away from things you would not ingest. Probably the safest rule of thumb is if I would not lick or sniff it probably my pet shouldn't either. Keep the telephone numbers to your vet, emergency vet hospital and poison control center handy. When you travel, leave this information and a power of attorney with your pet sitter so they can obtain vet care in your absence. I also leave personal pet history information with my pet sitter, their weight, breed, and age and allergy information as well.