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Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month

March 16, 2022

Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month

March into Spring with Knowledge to Protect Your Pet from Toxins

The month of March is Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month. We’ve written before about Indoor Hazards for Pets and Outdoor Hazards for Pets, along with the Signs of Toxicity. This time, the focus is on common toxins found during the spring.

Most Common Pet Toxins in the Spring

With longer, warmer days, you and your pet may both be spending more time outside. In the spring, pay special attention to those outdoor toxins, along with plants you may bring inside, such as:

Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month

Toxic Plants

  • Tulips and hyacinths
  • Daffodils
  • Lilies
  • Crocuses
  • Lily of the valley

Toxic Gardening Ingredients

Just because your fertilizer is organic, doesn’t mean it’s safe for your pets. Blood meal and bone meal are both popular organic fertilizer ingredients. Dried blood and bone will be naturally appealing to cats and dogs, but can cause vomiting, iron toxicity or intestinal blockages.

Some fertilizers are fortified with iron, which can cause iron toxicity if your pet ingests it. Also watch for disulfoton in rose and plant fertilizer, which is highly toxic.

And the Pet Poison Helpline has this advice about pesticides and insecticides:

“Most pesticides or insecticides (typically those that come in a spray can) are basic irritants to the pet and are usually not a huge concern unless a pet’s symptoms become persistent. Some may contain an organophosphate which can be life threatening when consumed in large quantities. It is always best to speak to a trained medical professional if there are any questions.”

Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month

Toxicities to Watch for Around Easter and Passover

Family celebrations are wonderful, but also a time when it’s easy for your pet to get into something they shouldn’t. Around Easter and Passover, watch out for:

  • Chocolate
  • Fake “Easter grass”
  • Candy with Xylitol in it
  • Raw or cooked animal bones
  • Raw or cooked animal fat
  • Cooking ingredients like onions, garlic, chives, leeks
  • Alcohol

Animal Poison Control Options

If your pet has ingested a suspected toxin, and you can’t get in touch with your veterinarian, these animal poison control lines are good resources:

Just this month, ASPCA Animal Poison Control announced its four millionth case in its 45-year history. You may be interested to know:

“Established in 1978, the APCC is the only facility of its kind and is staffed by 70 veterinarians, including 11 board-certified veterinary toxicologists, 100 certified veterinary technicians and 13 veterinary assistants. The APCC has developed a sophisticated veterinary database system called AnTox™ that helps identify and characterize toxic effects of substances in animals and enables the ASPCA to collect more patient data than any other veterinary toxicology medical record system in the world.”

Have questions about how to create a toxin-free, safe environment for your pet? Contact us.

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