There are so many activities that pet owners and their pets enjoy during summer. Almost all of these festivities and merriment are held outdoors and people like to wear glow-in-the-dark accessories or play with glow sticks. Some people even place a glow necklace on their pet’s neck, leash, or collar. Many of these accessories are also left lying around the house.

Cats can be easily fascinated by these items that glow in the dark and will play with them –batting, nipping, swiping them around and even bite into the “toy”. Almost 90% of cases to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center are ingestion of glow accessories by cats.

Glow-in-the-dark accessories or sticks are filled with dibutyl phthalate, an oily liquid that is generally more of an irritant than a poisonous one. It has an extremely bitter taste and since pets are unable to spit it out, they start to drool uncontrollably. Some even vomit and become agitated or aggressive, and even hide under the furniture. These behaviors can certainly be very alarming to pet owners.  If your pet cat or dog has played and eaten glow sticks or other glow items, call your veterinarian for instructions on what you can do at home and whether you need to take your pet to the veterinarian Tipp City OH.