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| Death by Chocolate |
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Chocolate is everywhere now – from Easter
baskets,
to holiday desserts, to the 50% off tables at retailers
right after the holiday. For most people, the only
danger of overindulgence is an expanding waistline.
But for dogs, eating chocolate can cause seizures and
death. Since chocolate tastes as good to Fido as it
does to us, it’s easy for your pet to quickly swallow a
dangerous amount.
All forms of chocolate - milk, dark, semi-sweet, baking,
more...
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| What You Don't Know About the Easter Lily |
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Easter Lily is the common name for Lilium
longiflorum. This fragrant seasonal plant is
extremely poisonous for cats. Eating small amounts
of any part of the plant can cause dangerous
symptoms and lead to death from kidney failure. more...
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| Would You Eat This? |
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Would you eat this?
On the right is a chocolate candy bar,
delicious and safe for humans. On the left, more...
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| Help Save A Life |
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The Poison Center is not a government agency
and
relies on donations from people like you to maintain
our life-saving services. Donations to the Poison
Center touch the lives of more than 50,000 Washigton
area residents each year. You can donate by
credit card online, or by sending a check
to:
National Capital Poison Center
3201 New Mexico Avenue, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20016
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National Capital Poison Center in 2006: On the Phones and Beyond |
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During 2006, the National Capital Poison Center
helped more than 50,000 callers to its emergency
phone lines – 50,702, to be exact. Here are a few
highlights:
- 35,182 calls were about people who were
exposed to a poison. Just about half were children
under age six, but the most serious cases occured in
adolescents and adults.
- More than 92 percent of calls were placed
from someone’s home.
- Nearly 78 percent of calls were about
people who swallowed something. But poisons on or
in the skin, eyes, ears, nose and other body parts
were also involved.
- Nearly 74% of all callers were
managed entirely over the phone. This is why the
Poison Center is so cost-effective: calling 911 and
being treated in an emergency department are MUCH
more expensive than calling the Poison Center.
- 2,680 people called because their pet or
another animal was exposed to a poison. Species
ranged from dogs (the most common) and cats to
birds, horses, cows and fish.
- 12,840 people called for poison-related
information. Their questions were about medication
interactions, pesticide use, workplace chemicals,
breast-feeding while taking medicine, and
many more topics.
The ten most common poison exposures in children
were:
- Cosmetics and personal care products
- Cleaning substances
- Pain relievers
- Foreign bodies
- Topical medicines (for skin, ears, etc.)
- Cough and cold medicines
- Vitamins
- Plants
- Antihistamines
- Pesticides
While the emergency phone service
is the best-known Poison Center activity, staff
members were busy with many other services as
well. more...
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