ASPCA's Top Pet Toxins of 2014

Every year the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) receives over 100,000 calls regarding pets that have been exposed to potentially harmful or poisonous substances.

By call volume, here is the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's list of the 10 most common pet toxins of 2014:

1. Prescription Medications
For the seventh year in a row, human prescription medications sit at the top of the list.

2. Over the Counter Drugs/Medications
Including everything from natural and herbal supplements to traditional OTC drugs, calls falling into this category have become more prevalent during recent years. It is also worth noting that this is one of the broadest categories.

3. Insecticides
Falling from second place to third this year, insecticides accounted for nearly 10% of calls (15,000 cases).

4. Household Products/Items
Most commonly as cleaning products and paints, this category accounted for nearly 14,000 cases.

5. Human Foods
More commonly an issue with dogs rather than cats, more than 13,000 cases were related to pets that had ingested human food.

6. Veterinary Medications
Accounting for 7% of all cases in 2014, pet owners should be sure to keep chewable and (to them) tasty medications out of pets' reach. 

7. Chocolate
Accounting for 6% of total call volume, and on average more than 30 calls each day, chocolate ingestion remains one of the most common pet toxins. 

8. Plants
Jumping up one place since 2013, and accounting for about 5% of all calls, most incidents that fall into this category have to do with cats ingesting house plants.

9. Rodenticides
Pesticides intended to kill rats and mice can be incredibly harmful to pets if ingested. In 2014 the APCC handled over 7,500 rodenticide related calls.

10. Garden and Lawn Products
Responsible for approximately 2.7% of all calls, many of these incidents resulted from pet owners failing to store lawn/garden supplies out of pets reach.

You can also find the Top Ten list for 2013 here, and the Top Ten List for 2012 here.
In general, the ASPCA Blog is a fantastic resource for any pet owner.