Easter is early this year, so it coincides with Pet Poison Prevention Awareness month in March. Keep these five tips in mind as you plan your celebrations.
Plastic basket grass: If your pet swallows plastic grass, it can cause intestinal blockages.
Lilies: These plants are very toxic to your feline friends and can cause rapid kidney failure.
Chocolate: This food is very toxic to dogs if ingested.
Easter dinner: High-fat foods can cause GI upset. Leftover bones can cause foreign body (an object that becomes stuck in your pet’s body that shouldn’t be there).
Easter eggs: Real or fake eggs can be harmful to your pets. Spoiled eggs can cause upset stomachs and fake one can cause intestinal blockages.
10 Common Plants Toxic to Pets
Know these common plants that are toxic to cats and dogs. We recommend that you don’t keep the in your home.
Lilies
Philodendron
Oleander
Aloe
Chrysanthemum
Hyacinth
Jade plant
Sago palm
Daffodil
Asparagus fern
You may also want to check out “Top 20 Pet Toxins in Ohio.” Let’s enjoy spring with our pets, and keep everyone safe.
From Unexpected (Marijuana) to Perennial (Chocolate), Here are the Most Common Pet Toxins
The Pet Poison Helpline released its Top 10 Pet Poisons for 2023, and there are some notable entries for pet parents to be on the lookout for. Here’s the list, which takes into account all species of pet.
Marijuana Toxicity in Pets
New to the list this year is marijuana. The Pet Poison Helpline reports that it’s mostly dogs who encounter this toxicity. With the passage of Ohio’s Issue 2, we expect to see more cases in our state. On December 7, it became legal to possess marijuana and grow it at home.
The Pet Poison Helpline also provides stats on the pets it serves. Of all incident calls over the year:
88% dogs
11% cats
1% other species, like birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species
Food Toxicities
It’s not surprising that chocolate tops the list, as it’s widely-available and undeniably tasty. Grapes and raisins are of special note, because their toxicity doesn’t seem to be as well-known as other foods. The same goes for onions.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener used in many sugar-free candies, gums, desserts and recipes. We explored this pet toxin previously: Why is Xylitol Toxic for Dogs?
Medicine Toxicities
Human medicines aren’t meant for animals. Ibuprofen (Advil) is third on the list of most-common toxicities, and Vitamin D3 is a somewhat surprising addition. This list is a good reminder to keep all medicines out of reach of pets (and kids).
Veterinary medicines can also cause toxicity in the wrong dosage or if used for an extended period of time. Carprofen is a common NSAID used to treat pain and inflammation in animals, but overuse or overdose can cause toxicity. Fortunately, there are new treatments available to help with osteoarthritis pain, which we’ve written about:
It’s truly sad when a pet ingests any rat poisons. Both bromethalin and anticoagulant rat poisons make the top 10 list. Rats are mammals, just like cats and dogs, so these poisons are indiscriminately toxic. We recommend using a different form of pest control.
Christmas and the whole holiday season are usually a busy time– a happy sort of hectic. And our pets often join in on the fun, as we decorate the house and make festive recipes. Here are some reminders of common dangers to avoid during all the hustle and bustle.
Holiday Food No-No’s
Cats and dogs should never be given any of these food items:
Good tidings we bring, to you and your pets! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ~from all your friends at Companion Care Animal Hospital
It’s commonly reported that more pets go missing on July 4th than any other time of year. Typically, fireworks are to blame for panicked pets escaping their home or yard and fleeing into the night. But National Lost Pet Prevention Month will help your cats and dogs stay safe all year round.
National Lost Pet Prevention Month:
Prepare Your Home
Escape from home is a common way pets are lost. Here’s how to prepare your home to help prevent a runaway:
Make sure exterior and screen doors can close all the way and that pets can’t push them open.
Check window screens, to make sure they fit well and can’t be pushed out by your pet.
Know that dogs may jump through a screen during times of stress (like thunder fireworks!)
If you’re moving to a new home, keep your pet secure while you move in. Open doors and unpacking are the ideal combination for a pet slipping out and becoming lost.
Know the risks of pet doors. Your pet can leave the house at any time, and wildlife may find their way inside.
Keep your doors and windows locked, especially when you are away from home. Sadly, pet theft is known to happen.
National Lost Pet Prevention Month:
Prepare Your Yard
We all know that dogs need a safely fenced-in yard for outdoor fun. Here are other ways to safely prepare your yard during National Lost Pet Prevention Month:
Check your fencing to find any weak spots, broken boards or areas where your dog may have started digging under.
Securely close gates. Many dogs can learn how to open standard gate latches, so a carabiner can be a good solution that requires opposable thumbs.
Also know is your pet is a climber. Believe it or not, some dogs have been known to climb over chainlink fences.
If you have an electric fence, test it regularly to make sure it’s still working. Also, replace collar batteries based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.
If you let your cat outdoors, keep an eye on them while they are out.
National Lost Pet Prevention Month:
Prepare Your Pet
There are several important things you can do to prevent your pet from going missing:
Spay or neuter your pet. This reduces their urge to roam.
Train your dog to “come” and “stay,” which will help you maintain control over your pet if they start to run away in your presence.
Keep your cat or dog on a leash when there is a possibility of escape.
Check the fit of your pet’s collar. Some pets are adept at escaping around-the-neck collars.
Watch your pet when you’re in less secure situation. For instance, a pet can jump out of an open car window.
Keep your pet indoors when you’re not at home. Not only could your pet escape, it’s possible your pet could be stolen.
Play with your pet to prevent boredom. A bored pet may be more interested in making an escape plan.
Even with the best preparation, accidents can happen. Here’s how to prepare your pet in case they get lost:
Have your cat or dog wear a collar with an identifying tag on it. Include your name and phone number.
National Lost Pet Prevention Month:
Prepare Your Guests
When guests visit your home, they may not know the important role they play in keeping a pet from escaping. Kindly remind them to shut the door behind them, close gates, and keep an eye out for a pet sneaking by.
If your cat or dog is a true escape artist, you may want to leash them when guests are entering and leaving.
Let’s make a plan this month to prevent lost pets! All of our tips are fairly easy to implement, and the preparation is worth reducing the risk of losing your beloved pet.
Common household items such as plants, foods and chemicals can harm your pets if ingested. We’re highlighting these in observance of Poison Prevention Week.
Cats and dogs share many sensitivities, but the top toxins for each have some notable exceptions. It’s best to keep all substances like cleaning supplies and medications completely out of reach for your pet.
Top 10 Toxins and Poisons for Dogs
Some of these toxins are fairly well-known, but several might surprise you. These toxicities are commonly seen by veterinarians. Keep all of them away from your dog’s reach.
Chocolate
Mouse and rat poisons
Vitamins and minerals, specifically Vitamin D and Iron supplements
Human and veterinary pain relievers
Heart medications, especially calcium channel blockers and beta blockers
Cold and allergy medications like pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine
Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
Xylitol, an artificial sweetener often found in sugar-free gum
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Caffeine pills
Top 10 Toxins and Poisons for Cats
Cats have several specific toxins that can be fatal. It’s very important to keep these 10 items away from your cat:
Topical, spot-on insecticides. These flea and tick insecticides are typically safe for dogs but never for cats. They include drugs from the pyrethrin and pyrethroid family
Household cleaners
Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)
Lilies of every variety
Insoluble oxalate plants, such as Dieffenbachia, philodendron, umbrella plant, elephant’s ear
Human and veterinary pain relievers
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Glowsticks
ADD/ADHD medications, i.e., amphetamines
Mouse and rat poisons
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:
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:
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.”
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.
Around the world, more than 59,000 humans die from rabies each year, reports the CDC. It’s important to know that once symptoms show up, rabies is practically 100% fatal. It is also 100% preventable.
Bats are the Main Culprit in the US
In the US, just one or two people die each year from rabies. The CDC writes:
In the United States today, human fatalities are rare but typically occur in people who do not seek prompt medical care. While the exact reason for not seeking care is often unclear, lack of awareness of the risk of rabies is thought to be an important factor. This is of particular concern for bat bites, since bats can have small teeth and leave bite marks that are the size of the tip of a pencil…. Of the infections acquired in the United States, 70% were attributed to bat exposures.
While today bats are of most concern in the US, that wasn’t always the case. Before 1960, most reported cases of rabies were in dogs. During that time, 100 people per year might die of rabies. The CDC attributes this change to:
“This decline can be attributed to successful pet vaccination and animal control programs, public health surveillance and testing, and availability of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for rabies.”
It should be noted that the vast majority of bats don’t have rabies. Among sick or injured bats that have been captured for rabies testing, only 6% of them are infected. When left alone in their wild environment, bats are an important part of our ecosystem.
Worldwide, Dogs Still Need Rabies Protection
A global coalition of health organizations “are working together to eliminate human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030.” The CDC describes examples of its work in Ethiopia, Vietnam and Haiti, where public health workers promote and distribute rabies vaccinations to dogs.
What Can You Do to Prevent Rabies?
The spread of rabies has become less severe in the US because we have taken steps as a society to prevent this fatal disease. Here’s how you can help:
Most importantly, keep your cat or dog’s rabies vaccination up-to-date. (Yes, even indoor cats. Believe it or not, bats can enter a home and bite people or animals sleeping inside).
Keep your pets away from wildlife.
If you work in a field where you have a higher than normal risk of contracting rabies, you may personally benefit from a pre-exposure rabies vaccine. Occupations include veterinarians, animal handlers and veterinary students.
Know the signs of rabies and report any sightings to animal control or your local health department.
“When a microchipped pet isn’t returned home, it’s usually due to
incorrect or missing owner information in the microchip registry.”
When was the last time you verified the information on your pet’s microchip? Maybe Check the Chip Day was made just for you!
How to Check Your Pet’s Microchip
The easiest way to check the chip is with the American Animal Hospital’s Pet Microchip Lookup Tool. If you have the paperwork or registration from your pet’s microchipping, you can look up the 9, 10 or 15-digit ID in their database.
If you don’t have the ID number, try calling the location where your pet received their microchip. Especially if this was your veterinarian’s office, they may still have the information on file.
Benefits of Microchipping for Cats and Dogs
This handy infographic from AVMA shows many of the benefits of both microchipping your pet and keeping the registration information up-to-date.
Cicadas Aren’t Poisonous, but Can Still Cause Trouble for Cats and Dogs
We know that cats are natural born killers of small creatures… and dogs, well, some of them will try to eat anything. Here’s a video of one cat’s great cicada hunt.
With the cicada summer of 2021 nearly upon us, should you worry about your pet’s natural interest in these insects? And what happens if your cat or dog eats cicadas?
Catching an Occasional Cicada Isn’t Harmful for Pets
Information from an article by Kentucky author Megan Wollerton says:
“Periodical cicadas aren’t poisonous to pets and other animals, Jonathan Larson, an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky, tells me via email. ‘If your pet snatches a cicada while in the yard or on a walk, they will more than likely be fine. However, overindulgence on anything is bad, and this holds true with cicadas and pets.’
“Larson says the cicadas can potentially cause an allergic reaction and be a choking hazard to pets. ‘If your animal feasts on piles of them while they are outside, they can end up with upset stomachs, vomiting or diarrhea.’ He also cautions pet owners to consider what might have been sprayed on the ground above the cicadas during their 17-year development.”
Symptoms of Eating Too Many Cicadas
Pets that eat too many cicadas can become quite ill. The exoskeleton is difficult to digest. Pets may experience:
Mild to severe stomach upset
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Bloody diarrhea
Choking on wings or exoskeletons
An allergic reaction
How to Protect Your Pet During the Brood X Cicada Season
Fortunately, the cicada risk will only last around six weeks, and it’s easy to prevent any serious harm from coming to your pet.
From now until about late June, keep an eye on your pet when they are outside. Don’t allow them to gorge on cicadas. If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, call your veterinarian right away.
Have questions about cicadas and your pet? Contact us.
It’s Poison Prevention Week, and we join with the Poison Prevention Healthline in raising awareness of the common hazards and toxins found in homes.
Take a look at these infographics, then investigate your kitchen, living room and bathroom in search of toxins. Put them out of reach, and save a potential trip to the emergency room.
Common Kitchen Toxins for Pets
Common Living Room Toxins for Pets
Common Bathroom Toxins for Pets
What to Do if You Suspect Pet Poisoning
If you suspect your cat or dog has ingested a toxin, call one of the pet poison hotlines:
