April Showers Bring May Flowers
It is hard to believe that we are already over a quarter of the way through 2012. We aren't the only ones who are excited to see the sun shining every day, our four legged children are equally happy to spend hours basking in the warmth of spring. We all know chocolate is toxic to our pets, but we forget items found outside in our yards and gardens that can cause life threatening problems. Remember even if our own are safe, neighboring yards and woods may not be.
Last year pet poison control received over 2,000 calls regarding yard related poisons, this article will shed some light on some common outdoor toxins.
Rodenticides are probably the most common item the general population is aware of as being bad for our pets. While there are safer ones to choose from than others, make sure to keep all products, traps, and baits out of reach of your companions and contact a veterinarian or poison control center if they are ingested. There are four categories of rodenticides.
- Long acting anti-coagulants (LAAC) are the most widely used rodenticides. They work by causing internal bleeding and preventing the body from clotting normally. Common signs are coughing (blood in lungs), large and soft lumps under the skin, vomiting, nose bleeds, bruised skins, exercise intolerance, weakness, bloody urine, bleeding from the gums and not eating. It can take 2-5 days before the poison actually takes effect. Prescription strength Vitamin K1 is the antidote.
- Cholecalciferols (Vitamin D3) are the most dangerous. They work by basically increasing calcium blood levels so high that it causes kidney failure, and only a tiny amount needs to be ingested to cause a problem. There is no antidote.
- Bromethalin is a rarer type of rat poison with no antidote and causes brain swelling. Signs include drunken walking, tremoring and seizuring.
- Phosphides are more commonly seen in mole and gopher poison and come in a “gummy worm†form that you put in the dirt. Ingestion of this causes phosphine gas in the stomach that can result in severe bloat, vomiting, abdominal pain, and heart and lung complications. Like cholecalciferol poisons, only a small amount needs to be ingested to cause a problem. Use caution if your dog ingests this and vomits, the phosphine gas is poisonous to humans too.
Pesticides/Insecticides are generally just an irritant unless the symptoms become persistent. Some may contain organophosphates which can be life threatening if consumed in large quantities.
Slug/Snail Bait typically contains the active ingredient metaldehyde, which is toxic to all species (particularly canines). Within 1-2 hours of ingestion signs include salivation, restlessness, vomiting, and incoordination which later progress to tremors, seizures, and secondary severe hyperthermia and death.
Fertilizers can contain disulfoton or other organophosphates. As little as 1 teaspoon of 1% disulfoton can kill a 55lb dog. Organophosphates are less common which can result in severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, seizures, and hyperthermia and in some cases can be fatal.
Mushrooms can be found growing all over the United States and while most are non-toxic, there are specific types that can be very dangerous. Amanita mushrooms can result in liver failure, while others contain gastric irritants and hallucinogens. Due to the lack of readily available identification of mushrooms, all mushrooms are considered toxic until proven otherwise. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, ataxia, depression, tremors and seizures with the potential of liver and renal damage. These signs depend on the quantity and type of mushroom.
Blue-Green Algae accumulate on the surface of the water during hot, dry weather. Blooms of blue-green algae can contain hepatoxins and/or neurotoxins and exposure occurs when dogs ingest or swim in water that contains the blue-green algae. Signs of hepatoxins are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness, shock, yellow gums and potential death within 24 hours to several days. Clinical signs with neurotoxins occur acutely with tremors, lethargy, seizures, trouble breathing, and death within an hour.
Blood Meal* is a great organic fertilizer but because it is dried, ground and flash-frozen blood it contains 12% nitrogen and can cause vomiting and diarrhea if ingested. It can also cause severe pancreatitis, and if the fertilizer contains iron, it can result in iron toxicity.
Bone Meal* is another organic fertilizer. It is made up of ground up animal bone, and is very palatable to dogs. Ingesting this fertilizer can cause a large cement-like bone ball in your dogs’ stomach, potentially causing a gastrointestinal obstruction
Cocoa Mulch* is the discarded hulls/shells of the cocoa bean. We know chocolate is toxic to animals because it contains theobromine. Due to the process in which cocoa bean mulch is created most of the methylxanthine (theobromine and caffeine) is removed, but it still contains 0.19% - 2.98% theobromine and 0.5% - 0/85% caffeine. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, tremors, tachycardia (rapid heart rate), tachypnea (rapid breathing), and potential seizures.
Compost Piles can potentially contain tremorgenic mycotoxins (toxic to wildlife and pets), which can be found in any decomposing and decaying organic matter and molding foods. Clinical signs include agitation, hyperthermia, and hyper-responsiveness, panting, drooling, and vomiting. These signs can progress into serious central nervous system sign including incoordination, tremors and seizures.
Programming your cell phones to include your veterinarians' office, a 24 hour emergency vet, and a pet poison control number will save you some time should an emergency situation arise. Now that you know some items to look out for, both you and your pets can safely enjoy the outdoors. Below are some helpful links of common toxic plants and flowers to be on the look out for.
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-poisons/top-10-plants-poisonous-to/
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/
*Mulch, and meals cause mostly diarrhea, and are dose related, meaning large quantities need to be ingested by your pet
