We’ve talked about it before and we’ll talk about it again – poison prevention. It’s a scary thing when it comes to pets in the household. Many things that might seem OK for pets to consume, are actually very poisonous to them.

This year we’d like to talk about one we haven’t mentioned much before: human medications.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), nearly 16 percent of calls into their Animal Poison Control Center (26,407 cases) were from owners whose pets got into medicines intended for human use, putting this category at the top of the toxin list for the seventh straight year. The types of medications pets are most often exposed to appear to correlate with the most popular medications prescribed to humans.

In addition, over-the-counter medications, which includes herbal and other natural supplements, resulted in approximately 25,000 calls in 2014, according to the ASPCA. This category is exceptionally large, encompassing over 6,900 different products.

So how are pets getting into the medicine cabinet? Who knew that you needed to keep your medications away from pets as much as children? Dogs are notorious for getting into things they shouldn’t. Pills could be dropped on the floor and eaten, but not necessarily. Pets are sneaky. Keep your medicines up high or in a cabinet that your pet cannot reach. Leaving a pill container out on the counter might not be the best idea.

March is Pet Poison Prevention Month. Keep these items in the forefront of your mind to help keep your pets safe.

Other common concerns include coffee, insecticides, household items, human foods, chocolate and veterinary medications. Here is a small list of items we’ve mentioned before.

• Alcoholic beverages
• Avocado
• Coffee (all forms)
• Macadamia nuts
• Moldy or spoiled foods
• Onions, onion powder
• Raisins and grapes
• Salt
• Yeast dough
• Garlic

We hope this helps! Pass this post along to fellow pet owners. You could help save a life!

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