After a long, wet winter we are all looking forward to some warmer weather, and spending more time outdoors. Of course our pets are likely to enjoy this too! However, spring does bring a few extra risks for your pet. Let’s take a look at some common spring dangers for pets.
Garden dangers
As spring approaches you may be thinking about working on the garden, or buying some fresh cut flowers to brighten your home. In fact, gardening as a hobby is good for both your physical and mental wellbeing. However, there are some dangers that you need to be aware of, so that you can keep your pet safe while enjoying your garden:
Gardening dangers
Some garden dangers may seem obvious, whereas you may not have thought of others. For example, as we spend more time pottering in the garden, it’s common for cats to become trapped in garden sheds. Be sure to check your shed before closing up for the day, a cat may well have found a warm corner to curl up in!
While many fertilisers simply cause an upset tummy if eaten, there are a few that are more dangerous. For example, organophosphates (such as disulfoton) can be fatal, even when small amounts are eaten. Iron is often added to fertilisers, and iron is toxic. If enough is eaten it can cause sickness, diarrhoea with blood and can even damage the heart and liver.
Blood and bone meal are other fertilisers to watch out for (especially as they may be appealing to your pet, so more likely to be eaten!). Blood meal can cause sickness, diarrhoea and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Bone meal can agglutinate in the stomach and cause a blockage.
Similarly, lawn feed and weed killer can also be harmful to pets if eaten, since they usually contain fertiliser, weed killer and iron. Many weed killers contain glyphosate, which can cause gastrointestinal signs. In more severe cases, glyphosate can cause seizures, low heart rate and breathing difficulty.
Slug pellets even now sometimes contain metaldehyde, which is very dangerous and causes symptoms very quickly after ingestion. These include tremors and seizures.
Spring plants
Many spring plants are actually toxic to pets if eaten. Some common examples include:
Daffodils:
contain lycorine, which causes sickness. If your pet eats the plant, flower or bulb they can develop symptoms. Signs include drooling, sickness, diarrhoea, and tummy ache. Severe cases can also develop an irregular heart beat and difficulty breathing.
Lilies:
are incredibly toxic to cats! Even the tiniest amount can cause severe kidney damage and, sadly, lily ingestion is often fatal. Do not grow lilies, nor have cut lilies in your home, if you have a cat. If your cat does accidentally lick or chew a lily (even the pollen), you should contact your vet as an emergency. Do not wait for any symptoms to develop, since by then it is often too late.
Tulips and hyacinths:
While all parts of these plants can cause symptoms, the bulbs are the most dangerous part. Signs include drooling, sickness and sometimes diarrhoea. If your pet eats the bulbs this can cause more serious symptoms, such as an increased heart rate and changes to breathing.
Bluebells:
contain cardiac glycosides. They can cause sickness, diarrhoea and tummy ache when eaten. In more severe cases, they can also cause disturbance to the heart – slow or fast heart rate, or abnormal rhythm.
Crocus:
Spring crocuses can cause sickness and diarrhoea when eaten. It’s important to note that crocuses seen in Autumn are different, and much more toxic to our pets.
This list is not exhaustive:
There are other plants that can be toxic to our pets. For example, all plants grown from a bulb are toxic to rabbits. So, make sure you are storing unplanted bulbs well out of reach of your pets. It is safest not to grow any potentially toxic plants in your garden, but be especially careful if your pet has a tendency to dig or chew things.
If you see your pet chewing on a plant, bulb or any garden chemicals, or they develop any symptoms, it’s important that you seek veterinary advice immediately.
Easter treats
All the chocolate and other easter treats can be very tempting for our pets! Chocolate and raisin toxicity are probably the most common poisonings vets see around Easter time.
Chocolate
contains theobromine, which is toxic to pets (including dogs, cats, rodents and rabbits!). Initial symptoms include sickness, diarrhoea, restlessness and drinking more than usual. Signs can then progress to tremors, abnormal heart rate and increased breathing rate. Severe cases can cause fitting, coma and even death.
The severity of the signs will depend on the weight of your pet, how much they have eaten and the type of chocolate they have eaten. This is because different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine. Dark chocolate contains the most theobromine, and so is more toxic. There is a handy online calculator you can use to see if your pet has eaten a toxic amount. However, it’s always safest to contact your vet directly for advice.
Raisins
are commonly found in easter treats, including hot cross buns. Raisins (alongside grapes, sultanas and currants) are toxic to pets. Symptoms of raisin poisoning include sickness, diarrhoea, tummy ache, lethargy, blood in the stool and low appetite. In severe cases, eating raisins can cause kidney failure and be fatal.
The toxic dose varies from dog to dog, with some dogs being very severely affected after eating only very small amounts. Since it’s impossible to know if your pet will be severely affected, it’s important that you contact your vet straight away if your pet does manage to eat any raisins.
As you can see, it’s important that we keep easter treats well out of reach of our pets!
Warm weather
While we’re unlikely to see a heat wave just yet, remember that some pets are more susceptible to warm weather than others. As temperatures start to rise (we hope!) pay close attention to elderly, very young or brachycephalic pets in the heat.
As the weather improves, cats tend to roam a bit further. This can make them more prone to cat fights and accidents on the road. Cats also come into season every 2-3 weeks from spring time, so it’s important to make sure your cat is neutered, to avoid any unwanted pregnancies!
Although we see fleas and ticks all year round, they tend to be more common in spring and summer. Dogs and cats tend to spend more time in long grass and woodlands, making them more prone to picking up ticks. If your garden has lots of wildlife, they may well pick up ticks in the garden too. So now’s a good time to ensure your pet has adequate flea and tick protection, to see them through the summer.
Wildlife & Livestock
Let’s not forget the danger that our pets can cause to wildlife in spring! If you’re headed out on a countryside walk, be sure to look out for farm animals. Many will have offspring at this time of year. Sheep are especially susceptible to stress and shock, and can die just from being chased.
As well as the harm caused, sheep worrying is a criminal offence. So, make sure you keep your dog on a short lead on countryside walks. Remember, in some circumstances farmers have the legal right to shoot animals that are worrying their livestock.
Birds will be nesting and producing young. Some birds nest on the ground, so this is another reason to keep dogs on a lead during spring country walks! Baby birds are likely to be easy prey for our feline friends, so it may be time to consider a bell, or to check your garden for fledglings learning to fly before allowing your cat outside.
As with most things, prevention is better than cure. So hopefully you and your pet can now enjoy all the joy spring brings… safely! Remember, with most of these spring dangers, early intervention is key for a good outcome. So, if you’re worried about your pet, or you see them eating something possibly toxic, the sooner you contact your vet, the better.
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