This is a blog I think every pet parent should read. One morning this week, my darling dog Fred got a hold of a tube of Abreva (human medication used to treat cold sores) from my nightstand. While trying to get the tube away from him his tooth punctured the tube and he ingested some of it. I immediately started to panic. This panic was further heightened when I read that I should call the human poison control center if a human ingests it. So who do you call  for pet poison control? After doing a quick internet search, I discovered the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control hot line, (888) 426-4435. They asked me for:

• The species, breed, age, sex, weight and number of animals involved
• The animal's symptoms
• Other information regarding the exposure, including the agent (if known), the amount of the agent involved and the time elapsed since the time of exposure.

After a few minutes on the phone, I learned that little Fred would be fine. What a relief! I think every pet parent should keep this phone number handy. Please note that there can be a $65 fee for the hot line, but this is a small price to pay for peace of mind. You can always call your veterinarian as well in these instances. Hopefully this will help in case of those pet emergencies.