If you have mischievous dogs like I do, then you have more than likely put them into another room when you go out, or when unexpected company comes over. My chocolate and yellow Labs have their own room that has access to my laundry room. On many occasions I have come home to find that they have gotten into something, like the cats litterbox and on another occasion they had gotten into my Laundry Pods, which I had left out on the washer. Thank goodness I had just bought them and I knew how many should have be left. Luckily I had avoided one of the fastest growing toxic ingestion risks for the family dog or cat.

Laundry pods have gained (no pun intended) in popularity since their release in February of 2012. Once listed as number 6 under the umbrella of house hold toxins on the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center list in 2012, laundry pods are now number 2. The majority of the calls they receive involve dogs at around 92% of the cases.

With an easily dissolving outer cover, dogs and cats have little to no chance of spitting it out before they realize what they have gotten themselves into. Once ingested the detergents can cause burns to the mouth, esophagus, intestines and stomach lining. Foam can then form in the stomach, if your pet vomits that foam can be inhaled and can cause damage to their lungs, causing aspiration pneumonitis. If you come home to find your pet drooling excessively, vomiting, wheezing or acting strangely, and you think your pet has been exposed to a laundry pod you should contact your veterinary clinic or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center as soon as possible for advice. Do not induce vomiting.

Laundry pods may be convenient and save money, but to our pets they look like a great toy or a new treat to try. Prevention is the key! Make sure to store laundry pods out of site and away from playful paws. Unfortunately leaving them in the container on top of the machine like I did may not be enough.