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Vet charity PDSA has warned that a simple ‘spring clean’ could be fatal to pets after revealing one animal has died and several others have suffered serious injury from exposure to cleaning products.

In one particularly harrowing case, the charity said its vets had to euthanize a dog after they were exposed to laundry detergent which caused severe caustic burns to their paws, legs and mouth. Other cases in the past 12 months include a cat that was left foaming at the mouth after he licked a floor that had just been treated with disinfectant and a dog who suffered chemical burns to his scrotum after coming into contact with a cleaning product on the floor.

PDSA also dealt with a number of emergency incidents where pets had been poisoned by either ingesting or coming into contact with bleach.

Rebecca Ashman, PDSA vet, said: “With many households doing their spring cleaning, it’s important to ensure products are safe to use around pets.

“Millions of us use bleach, oven cleaner, dishwasher tablets and laundry detergents all the time in the home but we need to realise how dangerous they can be to our pets.

“Products such as bleach and detergents are highly corrosive and cause permanent and even life-threatening damage to a pet’s skin or insides if swallowed.

“Some pets will naturally explore or chew boxes and containers, so it’s really important to keep cleaning products safely locked away. Also, if you’re cleaning floors or other areas pets use, please keep them out of harm’s way and rinse the areas after cleaning. Using products at the correct dilution also helps to ensure pets don’t come into contact with concentrated chemicals.”

Rebecca added that it was vital for owners to seek emergency veterinary treatment straight away if they suspect their pet has come into contact with anything corrosive or poisonous.

She said: “It’s important to seek veterinary advice urgently. Don’t try to make your pet sick as this can sometimes cause further harm.

“In an emergency situation it’s also useful to let the vet know as much as possible about the offending substance, so they can give the appropriate treatment. So always keep the packaging and take it with you if you need to go to the vet”

Bootsie The Cat Shouldn’t Have Drunk That

Tabby cat Bootsie was rushed to PDSA Leicester Pet Hospital after drinking bleach from his owner’s toilet.

The chemical caused severe ulceration to his throat and he was poorly and unable to eat, so he required tube-feeding for several days while his burns healed.

Bootsie’s owner, Sophie McDowall, 24, from Northfields, Leicester, said: “I bleached the toilet and bathroom and hadn’t thought anything more about it. However, in the morning I woke to find Bootsie lying lifeless on his blanket with his tongue sticking out, dribbling everywhere and making a very strange noise.

“I called PDSA and they told me to bring him straight down. He was kept in at the hospital and I was so worried about him, it was heart-breaking.”

Bootsie had ulcers in his mouth and vets carried out tests to rule out other conditions before giving intensive treatment for his exposure to bleach.

The three-year-old pet was kept in hospital for several days until he was well enough to return home on painkillers.

Sophie added: “I can’t thank PDSA enough for the treatment Bootsie received. I’m now much more careful when cleaning the bathroom and ensure the lid to the toilet is always closed and the door kept shut to avoid anything like this happening again.”

PDSA vet Rebecca said Bootsie had been lucky and warned pet owners to be extra careful when using cleaning products.

She said: “Thankfully he didn’t have any permanent effects from drinking bleach but he is among the lucky ones, as it could have been much worse.

“Bootsie received emergency care through our A&E service, which has received a fantastic funding boost from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

“We really want to try and prevent pets coming into contact with everyday household cleaning products and want to raise awareness of the possible dangers.”

Symptoms of exposure to toxic chemicals or substances in pets include:-

Ulcerated or irritated skin including inside the mouth

Vomiting or coughing

Lethargy and collapse

Difficulty eating and excessive salivation/foaming at the mouth

Pawing at the mouth

For more information about how to keep your pet safe, please visit www.pdsa.org.uk/poisons

Probiotics for dogs offer many of the same benefits as probiotics for people. Did you know that? I ask because lots of people use probiotics in their own daily health routines but they just plain don’t think the same benefits could be passed on to dogs. Well, wahey! They can.

So if probiotics for dogs provide many of the same health and digestion benefits for our canine chums as ourselves, you’re probably keen to find out precisely what those health and digestion benefits actually are, right?

Here’s a taster of some of the benefits of probiotics in your dog’s daily health routine:

Because of their growing popularity with people, it has been known for some time how probiotics help with the immune system, gastrointestinal issues and allergies, but as more and more research is done, other potential benefits of these types of supplements are being discovered.

There are now multiple scientific studies going on to find out more about additional ways probiotics work.

"There’s evidence and ongoing exploration into the benefits related to urinary health, chronic fatigue, arthritis, thyroid imbalances, atopic diseases, oral health, anxiety, obesity – it is an ever-increasing list. Although much of the research has been specifically related to human health, it is not unreasonable to assume that it will not provide similar health benefits to our pets."

If you’re truly interested in the full range of info about the benefits of probiotics for dogs, you really, really will enjoy K9 Magazine’s guide which we think is THE definitive guide to the topic.

See more – Probiotics for Dogs: The Things You Need to Know

A woman who was involved in the breeding and selling of sick and dying puppies in Solihull has been given a suspended prison sentence and disqualified from keeping dogs for life.

Louise St John Poulton (DoB: 06/03/74), now of Highgrove, in St Albans, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday (3 April) where she pleaded guilty to six counts of causing unnecessary suffering to dogs and three offences of failing to meet the needs of a number of dogs.

An RSPCA investigation was launched after heartbroken owners reported buying sick and dying dogs including schnauzers, Westies and pugs from Poulton and her partner Sean Kerr – who was convicted and sentenced of the same offences earlier this year.

Inspectors discovered animals living in appalling conditions, including four dogs, three of whom were pregnant, locked in a dark outbuilding.

Poulton was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and was disqualified from keeping dogs for life. She was also ordered to pay £15,000 in costs.

The hearing brings an end to a 16-month-long, large-scale operation by the RSPCA to tackle puppy farming in the Midlands.

The animal welfare charity, who are on the frontline of fighting the illegal puppy trade, first launched an investigation into Poulton and Kerr following a number of reports from members of the public who had bought puppies which had quickly fallen ill and, in some cases, died.

RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal led the investigation. She said: “We were contacted by people who had bought schnauzers, Westies and pugs from a farm in Coventry Road, Bickenhill.

“Many of them had fallen ill within just a few hours and, tragically, some of them died within just a few days.

“Not only did the new owners have to cover hefty vet bills but they also had to deal with the trauma and heartbreak of watching their new puppies die in front of their eyes.”

After gathering evidence from a number of people whose puppies had died, the RSPCA and police officers executed a warrant at a farm near Solihull on 22 December 2015. Thirty-seven dogs and puppies – found living in the farmhouse and in sheds and stables throughout the farm – were removed, a number of which were pregnant, and 27 further pups were later born in RSPCA care.

Some of the dogs had injuries and health problems and officers also recovered the body of a dead puppy (pictured above) wrapped in a plastic carrier bag in the footwell of a van, parked at the farm.

“The dogs were being kept in disgusting conditions and were absolutely terrified,” inspector Boal added.

“Some were being kept locked in rooms inside the house, including a frightened pregnant shih tzu who was being kept in a cold downstairs loo. And four dogs – three of which were pregnant – had been locked in an outbuilding in total darkness, there was no light or ventilation whatsoever. In fact, we didn’t even realise they were there until a few hours into our search of the property.

“All of the dogs were petrified. The minute you touched them they froze from fear.”

On a whiteboard in one of the stables, officers found a whiteboard with instructions for the daily care of the dogs, including: ‘Keep puppies quiet, do not let them bark. Squirt them or use whip to crack in yard.’

Paperwork found at the house tied the couple to the sales of puppies and 17 mobile phones were removed and analysed which revealed texts from some of the buyers who had contacted the RSPCA.

“The health and welfare of these dogs isn’t important to the sellers who see them just as commodities to be brought and sold,” inspector Boal added.

“The breeding stock are kept in inadequate conditions and used to produce litter after litter with little or no regard for their welfare. And puppies are born with deformities or health problems as a result of poor breeding and don’t get the appropriate care in their formative weeks which means they can have serious health problems or behavioural issues.”

Most of the dogs rescued from the farm were fostered. Two of the puppies born in RSPCA care were fostered by Tom Mather, who lost his two Westies five days after buying them from Ms Poulton.

Ben and Max (pictured) had severe parvovirus and had to be put to sleep leaving Tom heartbroken. A few months later, he offered to foster shih tzu cross poodle, George, and Jack russell terrier cross border terrier, Archie, who he will now adopt permanently.

“George and Archie are part and parcel of life now, they are my little babies,” Tom explained.

“These two have fallen on their paws, I dread to think what might have happened to them if they hadn’t been rescued by the RSPCA.”