CHARLOTTE — When you think about lead poisoning, you probably think about the dangers it poses to children, but many pet owners don’t realize lead poisoning is a risk for pets too.
Laura Sauereisen lives in an older home. Between the paint and water lines, she worries about the lead exposure for her dogs, Mike and Millie.
“Oh my goodness, so many of us love our dogs as much as our children, so we don’t want that for our four-legged friends either,” she said.
While lead poisoning in pets is rare, it can happen.
“They start to get drunk like they can get wobbly,” veterinarian Dr. Mike Hutchinson said. “They can have GI signs. They can end up seizing and dying.”
While lead can be found in soil and water, lead poisoning in pets can come from a number of sources, like renovations in an older home where lead paint dust ends up on paws, which are then licked. It can even come from pet food, water bowls and toys.
Hutchinson says to stay away from ceramic bowls because they can leach lead.
“Over time in the food and water, they can get lead poisoning,” he said. “They can also get it from toys that are made out of the United States because they don’t have strict regulations about lead.”
His advice: Use stainless steel bowls, and only buy pet products that are made in America.
“If it doesn’t clearly say ‘Made in USA,’ there’s no way I would be giving it to my pet,” Hutchinson said.
Puppies are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning. Experts say their bodies can’t distinguish between lead and calcium, meaning lead can get stored in their bones.
You can check your pet’s bowls and toys with at-home lead tests. They’re available online or at hardware stores.
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