ARIZONA COMPANION ANIMAL TOXICITIES

Abstract

Exposures to toxic substances can be a life threatening or a permanent life altering event among companion animals in Arizona households. Many of these poisonings can be avoided with preventative measures, however there is a significant lack of knowledge among animal owners on these measures and how to respond when these events occur. The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center receives thousands of calls concerning animal poisonings every year. The goal of this study was to provide some insight on how Arizona animal toxicities compare to those most commonly seen across the United States. I hypothesized that the substances causing exposures would be slightly different and unique to Arizona considering the access to other types of toxicants that would not be a nationwide issue. Data from the Arizona Poison Center was obtained from the years of 2018-2020 and classified into broader categories to understand where reported toxicities came from. I found that Arizona is very comparable with the national toxicants for both dogs and cats. These results suggest that despite Arizona having its own set of widely known toxicities, they are not as frequent as originally thought. This can be used to educate pet owners and veterinary hospitals on what is actually the most prevalent toxic sources causing illness in their animals in order to prevent them from happening.