As everyone is aware the holiday's are upon us. There are trees, decorations, and holiday foods everywhere! In this blog I'm just going to address holiday plants, such as the poinsettia, mistletoe, and the Christmas tree.
-Poinsetta(Euphorbia pulcherrima): The poinsettia has long been deemed highly toxic by folklore, and perhaps is as a result of misidentification of a plant involved in a lethal toxicosis. In experiments is had failed to produce toxicosis... However, in instances where small animals ingest a large quantity it can produce considerable vomiting and diarrhea. All plant parts (leaves, stems, flower) are irritating.
-Mistletoe(Phoradendron Serotinum): This is the American mistletoe, it is actually a parasite of other trees such as oak or walnut. The leaves and red berries are both toxic! As little as three berries could be toxic to your pet or a child if eaten. It causes sudden stomach and intestinal upset, which results in vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. This can rapidly progress onto collapse of the heart and vascular system. If proper treatment isn't initiated then death can occur within 10-16 hours after ingestion. Due to the toxicity of this plant I recommend people just have the fake-plastic mistletoe if they need a plant to kiss under....
-Live Christmas Tree: Most common types of trees (Spruce, Fir, Pine) are non-toxic. The only real concern is if the pet ingests enough needles that it causes an obstruction (block them up, so feces can't pass). Many pets also decide that the Christmas tree water is a wonderful new watering hole and drink more water than the tree does. This water often has preservatives in it. These preservatives are primarily diluted sugar and NPK fertilizer. Most animals that drink the water develop no signs. On occasion mild stomach and intestinal signs occur, and rarely, bacterial/fungal contamination of the water may lead to more severe signs.
-Amaryllis: This is a common bulb that is forced to bloom at Christmas time. The bulb is actually the most toxic part, but the leaves in a large enough quantity are toxic as well. Eating leaves generally only results in drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. The bulb on the other hand can cause low blood pressure, weakness, falling over, shaking and seizures. Cats don't generally dig to find the bulb but if ingestion is suspected an immediate trip to the veterinarian is warranted.
-Lily: Lilies are more of an Easter flower but many are used in floral arrangements during the holidays. Lilies(easter lily, day lily, tiger lily) can cause sudden kidney failure in cats. Even minor exposures (bite on a leaf, ingestion of pollen) may result in toxicosis, so all feline exposures to lilies should be considered potentially life-threatening. This means head straight to the vet for care, kidney failure can occur in 48-96 hours after ingestion. These plants are colorful and fragrant which makes them 'uber' attractive to cats! So just don't have lilies if you have cats...
These are the most common plants ingested at the holidays, but don't forget all the yummy people food and stray holiday ribbon that is a source of concern as well. Many of the holiday treats we have are super high in fats and sugars. This can lead to symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea that can become severe enough to need a trip to the doctors office. Those strings that are so pretty and shiny are also crazy exciting to cats! The cats eat them and can they can cause an intestinal blockage.
My cats have never, thankfully, eaten any ribbon. Cedar (the orange cat) haassss pulled an entire Christmas tree over by himself!! He did this by taking some beaded garland in his mouth and taking off in the other direction at full speed. This caused the tree to fall over enough that half of the ornaments fell off, then the other half were smashed when the tree smacked back into the wall when Cedar let go of the garland!!! This all occurred at about 2am when I had a house full of sleeping people! He always has to be the center of attention, no matter the cost(his or mine)...
Everyone have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be safe and keep your pets safe.
Thanks for this info. Was just thinking about getting a poinsettia, and then I thought I'd better not because of my cats. Now, I know I can.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard about the issue with lilies, and have often had them in the house. Will avoid doing so now.