Hi Finley here!
I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the other day I noticed that my humans bought a pencil pouch from the store. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT EVEN MEANS?! It starts with a pencil pouch. Then things get really serious and there are markers and glue sticks and scissors everywhere. And then, before you know it, your little humans are gone all day everyday at that dreaded place they call “school.” Suddenly the house gets real quiet, in comparison to having the human pups around. This is a pretty major bummer, but there are some rather interesting aspects to this time of year, which the humans call “back to school.”
One of the better parts about this time of year is the magical bags of wonder they call “backpacks.” Those things are super interesting. Just don’t get caught chewing your way into one, because I can say from experience, the humans really don’t like that. The problem is, there can be some REALLY good smelling stuff in there, and how could I live if I didn’t find out what it was for myself? For this reason, my little humans take special care not to leave certain things in their backpacks for me to find:
- Gum: did you know that a lot of gum has something in it called xylitol? It’s only one of the most toxic things for dogs to eat, so be really careful having it around!
- Medications and inhalers: Stuff you take to make you feel better can make us feel pretty bad, so if your kids carry medicine or asthma inhalers in their backpacks, make sure they’re kept safely out of your pet’s reach.
- Food: If your kid tends to forget their lunchbox in their backpack, try to make sure their lunch doesn’t have things like chocolate, grapes and raisins in it. Better safe than sorry!
If your pet should get a hold of some kind of toxic goodie in your little human’s school stuff, call your veterinarian as soon as you can. You can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. They’re available 24/7 and can help you if your pet should get into something!
Hope these tips help everyone avoid the Backpack blues!
Until Next time,
Finley,
Executive Canine Quality Control Officer
Information provided by ASPCA
