Dogs are notoriously adventurous eaters. When your best bud can sniff out tasty delicacies a mile away, no dinner plate is safe. The same goes for your backyard, laundry bin, or trash can.
Unfortunately, some of the treats they uncover aren’t always good for them. Keep scrolling to learn how you can avoid a late-night visit to the emergency vet and keep your dog safe.
Always Be Prepared: Budget for Emergency Care
Some breeds have a preternatural ability for finding toxic items in your home, like the Lab that won’t leave your garbage bin alone. When your dog is always on the look out for a snack, it’s important you’re ready for anything, including an urgent trip to the vet.
Urgent vet care can be expensive, rivaling even your own medical expenses in an emergency.
Do your research to find out whether pet insurance is right for you, and remember to read the fine print. Some policies cover an emergency trip to the clinic to help offset the cost of getting the care they need, but they often require you to pay deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses.
An emergency fund can help you handle any costs not covered by insurance, so try setting aside some money for this possibility.
What happens if your emergency arrives before you save up enough? You might open up Google and type this phrase into your search: quick cash loans near me.
This search might unearth convenient online loans that have a simple application, but this prompts another question. Just how fast can you get the money once you’re approved?
It depends on your lender, according to the online loan experts at MoneyKey. But when it comes to online loans, they tend to be faster than in-person options that take weeks to process. If you visit Moneykey.com/loans-near-me/, you can learn more details about how fast quick cash loans might be.
Prevention: Don’t Feed These Foods to Your Dog
While you can safely share some human foods with your four-legged friend, others can make your pooch sick.
Here are the foods you should never give to your dog:
- Chocolate
- Onions
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Xylitol (this sugar alternative is often found in peanut butter, a common doggy-approved treat)
- Macadamia nuts
- Alcohol
- Uncooked dough with yeast
- Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, clementine, grapefruit, etc.)
Thinking about sharing a bite with your dog? Even if it isn’t one of these items listed above, always research what food is safe and talk to your vet about what is considered healthy additions to their kibble.
Prevention: Train Your Dog
Some dogs are more prone to eating what they shouldn’t, even when you try hard to limit what they eat. If your dog is a scavenger, they might be on the prowl for food at all times, in which case training is your best option.
Once you safely hide these foods in places your dog can’t reach, train your dog to recognize the “leave it” command. It may take some time before they listen, but it will come in handy if they happen upon a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich while you’re on a walk. Check out these resources to help you train your dog out of eating everything.
Bottom Line
Something as simple as moving your stash of chocolate to a cupboard your dog can’t reach could save his life. But consider how you can prepare for emergencies just in case they uncover something toxic.
