SPRING BRINGS ADDED RISKS TO OUR FOUR-LEGGED COMPANIONS

While our four-legged companions are exposed to potential risks in our household every day, the spring season presents additional hazards that we all should consider as we begin our household chores over the next several weeks.

Spring is the time for preparing our lawns and gardens.  While many lawn chemicals are absorbed quickly, it’s best to keep your pets off of the treated areas.  All fertilizers and pesticides need to be stored in secure containers and out of reach of pets.  Consult your lawn care company or product packaging for additional details on the content of the compounds used in the treatment.  Either way, it’s a good idea to wash your pet’s feet with a mild soap and water if they are exposed to the treated area. 

Garbage and compost piles represent two different sets of risks for pets. Food products grow bacteria and mold which then produce toxins that make pets ill.  Larger products can create an intestinal obstruction if swallowed whole.

Signs that your pet may have been exposed to toxic substances can include:


  • Vomiting
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • Painful abdominal distention
  • Disorientation
  • Muscle shaking/tremors (hyperexcitability)
  • Shock
  • Seizures
  • Collapse

Rodenticides, designed to eliminate mice, rats, and other common rodents, pose a very significant danger to pets.  The compounds are very tasty to pets, and symptoms of ingestion can take up to seven days to appear.  These symptoms can include labored breathing, decreased appetite, nosebleeds, bloody urine or feces, and bruising on the gums, or white of the eyes.

And while our focus, especially in the warmer weather of March and April, may be on the threats outside of our homes, the inside threats to our pets remain the same.

We’ve all heard the risks of chocolate, but coffee beans or grounds, grapes, raisins, and even macadamia nuts can create significant problems for dogs.    A newer outdoor hazard is mulch produced from the hull of cocoa beans.  This mulch smells like chocolate, and produces the same toxicity as edible chocolate.

Pennies contain zinc which can cause blood cells to be destroyed; make sure all change is out of reach of pets.

Of course, most household cleaning products - bleaches, cleansers, drain cleaners - are extremely toxic and should be stored safely away from where pets can get access to them.  Bleaches and other floor cleaners may present an immediate threat to pets who are able to access and lick the newly cleaned floor, especially while still wet.  While small amounts may only result in mouth blisters, larger amounts could cause significant harm to internal organs. 

Deeper in our homes, items such as aspirin and other pain relievers can cause serious damage to dogs and cats.  Acetaminophen can affect the ability of a cat’s red cells to carry oxygen and creates severe depression.  It can impact the liver in dogs.  If not quickly eliminated from the body, just two extra-strength tablets in 24 hours could kill a cat or small dog.  Symptoms in cats develop within one or two hours and include excessive salivation, vomiting, depression, and abdominal pain. High doses are typically fatal.

Any medication for humans, prescription or otherwise, may be toxic to pets.  If you suspect your animal may have ingested any of the substances on this list, or if your pet shows any of the symptoms mentioned, you should contact your veterinarian immediately.  Take a sample of the suspected toxin, and its packaging with you to the veterinarian.

The following items can cause serious illness or even death if ingested by your dog or cat.  Store these items in a safe, secure place away from your pets.

HAZARDS IN THE HOME


  • Anti-inflammatory medications (ibuprofen, aspirin)
  • Acetaminophen
  • Antidepressants
  • Anti-cancer drugs
  • Bleach
  • Cold & flu medications
  • Detergents
  • Diet pills
  • Disinfectants
  • Drain cleaners
  • Fabric softener
  • Flea and tick products
  • Fly bait
  • Home insect products
  • Lead
  • Lighter fluid
  • Lime/scale remover
  • Liquid potpourri
  • Mothballs
  • Oven cleaner
  • Rodenticides – rat/mouse bait
  • Solvents/paint thinner
  • Tobacco products
  • Vitamins

 

HAZARDS TO YOUR PET OUTSIDE YOUR HOME INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:


  • Algae
  • Antifreeze
  • De-icing salt
  • Fertilizer
  • Gasoline
  • Mulch containing cocoa bean
  • Oil
  • Pesticides

 

In addition, there is a long list of household plants and flowers that may also be harmful to your pets.  All of these plants include at least one toxic component. 

TOXIC PLANTS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:


  • Aloe
  • Amaryllis
  • Andromeda Japonica
  • Apple
  • Apricot
  • Asian Lily
  • Asparagus Fern
  • Australian Nut
  • Autumn Crocus
  • Avocado
  • Azalea
  • Baby Doll Ti
  • Balsam
  • Barbados Lily
  • Bird of Paradise
  • Bittersweet, American
  • Bittersweet, European
  • Branching Ivy
  • Buckeye
  • Buddhist Pine
  • Buzy Lizzie
  • Caladium
  • Calla Lily
  • Castor Bean
  • Ceriman
  • Charming Dieffenbachia
  • Cherry
  • China Doll
  • Chinaberry Tree
  • Chinese Evergreen
  • Christmas Rose
  • Cineraria
  • Clematis
  • Cordatum
  • Corn Plant
  • Cornstalk Plant
  • Cutleaf Philodendron
  • Cycads
  • Cyclamen
  • Daffodil
  • Day Lily
  • Devil’s Ivy
  • Dracaena Indivisa
  • Dracaena Marginata
  • Dracaena Palm
  • Dragon Tree
  • Dumb Cane
  • Early Day Lily
  • Easter Lily
  • Elephant Ears
  • Emerald Feather
  • Emerald Fern
  • English Ivy
  • European Bittersweet
  • Exotica Perfection Dieffenbachia
  • Fiddle-Leaf
  • Flamingo Plant
  • Florida Beauty
  • Foxglove
  • Fruit Salad Plant
  • German Ivy
  • Giant Dumb Cane
  • Giant Touch-Me-Not
  • Glacier Ivy
  • Gladiola
  • Glory Ivy
  • Gold Dieffenbachia
  • Gold Dust Dracaena
  • Golden Pothos
  • Green Gold Nephthysis
  • Hahn’s Self-Branching English Ivy
  • Hawaiian Ti
  • Heartleaf Philodendron
  • Heavenly Bamboo
  • Holly
  • Horsehead Philodendrum
  • Hurricane Plant
  • Hyacinth
  • Hydrangea
  • Impatience Plant
  • Indian Rubber Plant
  • Iris sp
  • Janet Craig Dracaena
  • Japanese Show Lily
  • Japanese Yew
  • Jerusalem Cherry
  • Lace Fern
  • Lacy Tree Philodendron
  • Lady Slipper
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Macadamia Nut
  • Madagascar Dragon Tree
  • Marble Queen
  • Marijuana
  • Mauna Loa Peace Lily
  • Medicine Plant/Aloe Vera
  • Mexican Breadfruit
  • Mistletoe
  • Morning Glory
  • Mother-in-Law
  • Narcissus
  • Needlepoint Ivy
  • Nephthytis
  • Nightshade
  • Oleander
  • Onion
  • Orange Day Lily
  • Panda
  • Patience Plant
  • Patient Lucy
  • Peace Lily
  • Peach
  • Pencil Cactus
  • Philodendron Pertusum
  • Plum
  • Plumosa Fern
  • Poinsettia
  • Poison Ivy
  • Poison Oak
  • Pothos
  • Pothos, Golden Pothos
  • Precatory Bean
  • Primula
  • Queensland Nut
  • Red Emerald
  • Red Lily
  • Red Rincess
  • Red-Margined Dracaena
  • Rhododendron
  • Ribbon Plant
  • Rubrum Lily
  • Saddle Leaf Philodendron
  • Sago Palm
  • Satin Pothos
  • Schefflera
  • Silver Pothos
  • Split Leaf
  • Spotted Dumb Cane
  • Sprengeri Fern
  • String of Pearls/Beads
  • Striped Dracaena
  • Sweetheart Ivy
  • Sweet Pea
  • Swiss Cheese Plant
  • Tangerine Impatiens
  • Taro Vie
  • Tiger Lily
  • Tomato Plant
  • Tree Philodendron
  • Tricolored Dracaena
  • Tropic Snow Dumbcane
  • True Aloe
  • Tulip
  • Variable Dieffenbachia
  • Variegated Philodendron
  • Warneckei Dracaena
  • Western Lily
  • Wood Lily
  • Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
  • Yew
  • Yucca

 

THE FOLLOWING FOOD AND BEVERAGE GROUPS CAN ALSO BE TOXIC TO YOUR PETS:


  • Avocados
  • Alcohol/Alcoholic beverages
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee – all forms
  • Fatty foods
  • Garlic
  • Grapes
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Moldy/spoiled foods
  • Onions and Onion Powder
  • Raisins
  • Raw Yeast Dough
  • Salt
  • Tea leaves
  • Xylitol – sweetener in gum, candy, etc.

 

If you suspect your pet has ingested any of these substances, contact your veterinarian immediately.