Ask the APCC: Are nicotine patches poisonous to pets?

I am using nicotine patches for smoking cessation and a friend told me they are poisonous to pets. Can you tell me more?
—Bill W.

We sure can, Bill. Anti-smoking patches, like cigarettes and other tobacco products, can be dangerous for pets, depending on the circumstances of exposure. As they contain nicotine, they have the potential to produce severe vomiting, depression, elevated heart rate, a drop in blood pressure, seizures, respiratory failure and, in severe cases, even death. Based on this information, it is advisable to keep your nicotine patches out of the reach of pets, and dispose of used patches in a waste receptacle that they cannot get into.

More new questions:

- My dogs frequently visit the area around our parrot and bird cages, snuffing up and eating bird seed hulls—and probably the occasional droppings. We clean the area regularly, but are concerned about health problems in our dogs. Should we worry?

- I noticed your avocado information in the recent issue of ASPCA News Alert. Do you have any information about the safety of avocado in pet food?

- I write a weekly food column in a local newspaper, and I’ve been asked if corn is harmful for dogs. I understand that it is a filler in certain dog foods.