Common household items that could be killing your pets

The video above says it all -- even the most harmless, and sometimes exciting, items could pose serious dangers to your pets. While your furry companions have personalities all their own, their capabilities to decipher danger among household items should not be overestimated. Your canines and felines, although smart and strong, are still highly dependent on you. It's your responsibility to keep your pups and kitties away from these harmful items!

1. Food
There's plenty of human food that is actually okay for your pets to eat, like potatoes, cranberries and white meat, but you need to be very careful. While most adults know that chocolate is harmful for pets, not everyone is aware of the lesser known dangers that can be found in grapes, avocados, garlic, or salt. And it doesn't stop at the food itself -- you'd better do a careful cleanup after eating your favorite wrapped candies, because if your pet eats those stray wrappers, he runs the risk of a torn esophagus or intestines.

2. Small objects
Just because you don't have children doesn't mean you can ignore those small object warnings. Your animals can choke or ingest toxic materials with small but underestimated items. Even if you think your pet would never eat a battery, hair pin or dentil floss, it's always better to be safe than sorry!

3. Flowers
While most flowers are not lethal for pets, you should keep your cats away from lilies at all costs. The ASPCA reports that "without immediate care, cats who eat lily may develop life-threatening kidney failure within 36 to 72 hours of ingestion." And the floral fear doesn't stop there -- holiday poinsettias, while not as life-threatening as the lily, also pose danger to your pets including stomach pain and vomiting. Check out the ASPCA's database of dangerous plants to make sure yours can't hurt your pets!

4. Holiday threats
You probably love celebrating your favorite holiday -- but if you don't focus enough on making sure all is safe for your pets, the celebration will end in tears. Look out for stray plastic eggs on Easter, fireworks on July 4th, turkey bones on Thanksgiving, and basically anything having to do with the Christmas tree on December 25th.

5. Toys
Your puppy probably likes that shiny, colorful building block as much as your toddler does. And he probably has just as much, if not less, restraint to eating it as a baby. Keep these choking hazards far from your pets, and look out for toys and yummy bones that pose life-threatening side effects to your companions.

Don't worry! As long as you take proper precautions, your favorite animals will live their lives danger-free.

Always be prepared! Here's how to deal with a pet emergency:

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