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Pet Poisons and Poison Control
The following information is provided
with the kind permission of PACC911. Please visit the website
pacc911.org for more
information.
Poison Control Hotlines
It's always a good idea to post close at
hand your veterinarian's number, the number of an emergency clinic,
and the number for the Poison Control Center. Before you call, note
the time your pet was exposed to the toxin, the type of product
ingested, the manufacturer's name and any ingredients you can find
listed on packaging.
ASPCA Ani-Med 1.888.721.9100
ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center 1.888.426.4435
Plants and Foods Toxic to Pets
Here is a quick reference guide to the more common house and garden
plants and foods (and other substances) that are toxic to most all
animals. If you have these plants or foods, you need not dispose of
them--just keep them away from your pets. Although it is impossible
to list all possible poisons, these guidelines may help you begin to
remove or place out of reach most potential problems.
This list is NOT ALL INCLUSIVE and may not include items poisonous
to Hamsters/Guinea Pigs/Iguanas/etc
* Indicates that a substance is especially dangerous and
can be fatal.
Foods which are toxic and poisonous to pets:
Alcohol (all alcoholic beverages, ethanol, methanol, isopropyl)
Almonds*
Apples seeds
Apricots*
Avocado*
Broccoli (in large amounts)
Cherry pits
Chocolate (all types)*
Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
Figs
Garlic*
Grapes
Hops (used in home brewing)
Macadamia Nuts
Milk
Mouldy/spoiled foods
Mushrooms
Nutmeg
Onions*
Peaches*
Pear seeds
Plum seed/pit
Potato (leaves & stem, peelings, and unripe green potatoes)
Raisins
Rhubarb leaves*
Sugar Free items with Xylitol (see below)***
Tomatoes (leaves & stem, and green tomatoes)
Walnut hulls
Yeast dough
Plants which are toxic and/or poisonous to pets:
Almonds*
Amaryllis bulb*
Andromeda
Anthuriaum*
Apple seeds (contain cyanide)
Apricot*
Arrowgrass
Autumn crocus (Colchicum Autumnale)*
Avocado (leaves, seeds, stem, skin)* (fatal to birds)
Azalea (entire rhododendron family)
Begonia*
Bird of Paradise
Bittersweet
Bleeding heart*
Boxwood
Bracken fern
Buckeye
Buttercup (Ranunculus)
Caffeine
Caladium*
Calla lily*
Castor bean or castor oil plant* (can be fatal if chewed)
Cherry pits (contain cyanide)
Cherry Chinese sacred or heavenly bamboo*
Chocolate Choke cherry, unripe berries*
Chrysanthemum (a natural source of pyrethrins)
Clematis
Crocus bulb
Croton (Codiaeum sp.)
Crown of Thorns
Daffodil
Daphne
Delphinium, larkspur, monkshood*
Dieffenbachia
Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia)*
Elderberry, unripe berries*
Elephant Ear
English ivy (All Hedera species of ivy)
Fig (Ficus)
Four-o'clocks (Mirabilis)
Foxglove (Digitalis)*
Garlic*
Grapes/raisins
Hemlock
Hemp
Hyacinth bulbs
Hydrangea*
Holly berries
Iris corms
Jack-in-the-pulpit*
Jasmine
Jerusalem Cherry, Winter Cherry (Solanum pseudocarpum)
Jimsonweed* (Datur stramonium, D. metaloides, D. arborea)
Kalanchoe*
Lantana*
Larkspur
Laurel
Lily (bulbs of most species)
Lily (Easter Lily, Tiger Lily)
Lily-of-the-Valley*
Locoweed
Lupine species
Marigold
Marijuana or hemp (Cannabis)
Milkweed*
Mistletoe berries*
Monkshood
Morning Glory*
Mostera, aka Split-Leaf Philodendron or Swiss Cheese Plant
Mountain laurel
Mushrooms & Toadstools (various)
Narcissus, daffodil
Nettles
Nightshade (various species)
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
Oak* (remove bark for use as a bird perch)
Oleander*
Onions*
Peaches*
Pear seeds
Pencil cactus/plant* (Euphorbia sp.)
Periwinkle (Vinca rosea)
Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
Philodendron (all species)*
Plum pit/seed
Poinsettia (many hybrids, avoid them all)
Poison Ivy
Potato (leaves & stem, peelings, unripe green potatoes)
Precatory Beans (Crabs Eye, Rosary Pea, Jequirity Bean) Used in
jewelry. Extremely toxic when seedcoat is broken, as it is when the
seeds are strung
Privet
Rhodedendron
Rhubarb leaves*
Rosary Pea (Arbus sp.) (can be fatal if chewed)
Scheffelera (umbrella plant)*
Shamrock (Oxalis sp.)*
Skunk Cabbage
Snow-on-the-Mountain
Spurge (Euphorbia sp.)
Tobacco
Tomatoes (leaves & stem, green tomatoes)
Tulip
Walnut hulls
Water Arum
Wisteria
Yew*
Other substances that are very harmful include (but are not limited
to):
Acetaminophen
Acetone
Antifreeze
Aspirin
Bleach
Boric Acid
Brake Fluid
Carbon Monoxide
Carbuerator Fluid
Cigarettes and other nicotine products and smoke
Cleaning Fluids
Cosmetics
Crayons (dangerous for birds)
Deoderant
Deodorizers
Detergents
Diet Pills
Disinfectants
Drain Cleaners
Dyes
Fungicides
Furniture Polish
Gasoline
Hair Coloring
Herbicides
Insecticides
Kerosine
Laundry supplies & fabric softener
Laxatives
Lead
Liquor
Lye
Matches
Mercury
Metal Polish
Mineral Spirits
Mothballs
Nail Polish & Nail Polish Remover
Paint
Paint Remover
Permananet Solution
Phenol
Photo Developer
Rodent poison
Rubbing Alcohol
Rust (dangerous for birds)
Shoe Polish
Sleeping Pills
Slug/Snail Bait
Soap
Sugar Free foods (see below)***
Suntan Lotion
Tar
Turpentine
Window Cleaners
Wood preservatives and shellac
Fumes dangerous to birds: smoke-filled air, insecticide spray,
deodorizers, spray cleaners, fumes from fresh paint, gas, and
overheated Teflon (very deadly).
Toxins Explained
Chocolate/Caffeine:
Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac
stimulant and a diuretic. After their pet has eaten a large quantity
of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected.
However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours,
with death following within twenty-four hours. Symptoms include
Staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain,
tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrhythmia, seizures, coma,
death. Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms.
A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of
a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking
chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more
theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be
a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part
of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog unwell. Semi-sweet
chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with
milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more
than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the
smaller the dog, the less it needs to eat.
Onions/Garlic:
Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions
are more of a danger. Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop
haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while
circulating in its body. Symptoms include Hemolytic Anemia, labored
breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, discolored urine. The
poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All
forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw
onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions
and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby
food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets,
can cause illness. While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient
thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts
would need to be eaten to cause illness.
Grapes/Raisins:
As few as a handful of raisins or grapes can make a dog/cat ill;
however, of the 10 cases reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center (APCC), each dog ingested between 9 ounces and 2 pounds of
grapes or raisins. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
pain, and lethargy.
Macadamia Nuts:
Macadamia nuts are another concern, along with most other kinds of
nuts. Their high phosphorus content is said to possibly lead to
bladder stones. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and
weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often
unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected
dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are
manipulated.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources:
Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system. Cooked
bones splinter EVEN MORE.
Milk and other dairy products:
Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the
enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can
result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for
pets.
Raw Eggs:
Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of
biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems.
Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
***Sugar Free foods with Xylitol:
Veterinarians warn that a commonly used sweetener might cause liver
failure in dogs, and perhaps even kill them. Researchers said for
dogs, ingesting even a small amount of xylitol, found in many
sugar-free foods, can trigger significant insulin release, which
drops their blood sugar and can be fatal. Their report in the
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association appears to
strengthen the suspected link between the sugar substitute xylitol,
thought to make dogs sick, and possible liver failure. Xylitol, a
naturally occurring product, is found in many sugar-free chewing
gums, candies, baked goods and toothpastes. Researchers Sharon
Gwaltney-Brant and Eric Dunayer with staff at a poison unit of the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Urbana,
Illinois, gathered information on eight dogs treated between 2003
and 2005 after eating products containing xylitol. Each dog became
ill, and five died or had to be put down because of liver failure,
possibly from ingesting xylitol. One dog who had to be euthanized
had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins containing about 1
pound of xylitol. "People don't think sugar-free gum can kill their
dog. I didn't before I got into this. But this is something people
should be aware of," Gwaltney-Brant, who co-authored the study with
Dunayer, said in a statement. Gwaltney-Brant said for dogs,
ingesting even a small amount of xylitol can trigger significant
insulin release, which drops their blood sugar and can be fatal. "A
22-pound dog who consumes one gram of xylitol should be treated,"
she said, adding that further studies were needed to definitely
establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
NOTE: Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe
for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic,
raisins/grapes and macadamia nuts, such foods should not be given at
all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates,
that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and
garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up
macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.
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