Keeping Your Dog Away from Mothballs
February 16, 2009 by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Filed under Health, Safety
As your thoughts start to turn to spring in the coming weeks, you’ll probably be considering storing those heavy sweaters and blankets. For many people, the solution is to store sweaters in a bag or box with some moth balls to prevent an unwelcome surprise when you unbox the sweaters in the fall.
But mothballs can lead to a far worse surprise if your dog finds them first. Mothballs present the real risk of naphthalene poisoning. Naphthalene, a component of fossil fuels such as petroleum, can cause your dog to become sick by eating or even inhalation. Even one mothball can cause some serious trouble.
If you’re concerned that your dog may have eaten a mothball, smell his breath. Your vet can do blood tests to look for characteristic changes to the red blood cells. Symptoms are initially vomiting, lethargy and depression; but some dogs may also have tremors and seizures. Get you dog to a vet immediately.
The best help, though, is to never allow your dog close to mothballs in the first place. Keep your closet door shut so he won’t have access to the mothballs. Also, if you use a toilet bowl freshener, realize that may also contain naphthalene. Keep your toilet lid closed so Fido isn’t tempted to take a drink from the toilet.
About Paris Permenter and John Bigley
DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.
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