Children five-years-old and under account for 88 percent of calls to poison control centers for exposure to veterinary medicines, researchers report in Pediatrics. In almost all of these cases, kids consumed drugs intended for the family pet.
While this is a limited study, the action items are clear. Educate animal owners about keeping animal medications out of reach of small children. Consider including safety warnings when prescribing and dispensing medications, preventatives and treatments for animals.
Source: Reuters, February 6, 2017.
To assess the risk veterinary medicines pose to children, Roberts and colleagues analyzed data on 1,431 calls to a regional poison control center in Ohio from 1999 through 2013. In 93 percent of cases, children ate or drank pet medicines. Another 2.3 percent of the calls involved children getting veterinary drugs in their eyes, and 1.1 percent of cases were for skin exposure.