Unknown dangers to your pets-- typical garden and house plants
I want to tell you about my cat, Cody. In the Fall of 2007, I moved all my large outdoor potted plants into the garage at the end of the season. I let my cats in the garage to sit on my potting table in front of the window. One night, as I was fixing dinner I noticed my ocicat Cody vomiting a clear greenish liquid tinged in red. I kept watching him and he was vomiting non-stop. I couldn't figure out what was causing this, but I knew it was serious.
I called the 24 hour veterinary service and tucked him in a carrier with a fuzzy blanket and we were in the car. When I arrived, I told them what was happening and they asked "what could he have eaten?" I quite honestly could not think of anything he could have eaten that was green. They immediately rushed him into the examining room and the vet said that his vital signs were weak and he would have to be on I.V. fluids and I should try and figure out what he ingested. I walked around my house trying to figure out what he chewed on and then I walked into the garage and saw my pots with English Ivy.
I now had a possible cause for Cody's distress. I started doing a search for poisonous plants to cats. I really had a hard time finding a complete list of all the poisonous plants. Finally, I saw that English Ivy is considered a toxin to cats.
English Ivy contains triterpenoid saponins, which when ingested, results in vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation & abdominal pain and in some cases--coma and death
Cody was on IV fluids and oxygen for over a day and our family was very worried. Finally, Cody seemed to respond to the treatments and basically came back to life. It was also a very costly lesson.
Since finding any information about poisonous plants for pets is hard to find, I thought I would give everyone a list of those toxic plants.
Aloe,Amaryllis, Autumn Crocus, Azalea, Bamboo, Castor Bean, Chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, English Ivy, Kalanchaloe, Lilies, Marijuana, Oleander, Peace Lily (Mauna Loa Peace Lily), Narcissus bulbs, Poinsettia, Pothos, Sago Palm, Schefflera, Yew.
Also, do not feed your cats or dogs ONIONS or GARLIC! These affect the red blood cells, causing life-threatening anemia. Cats are especially sensitive to these- even onion or garlic powder, so never feed your pets table food.
Lilies are especially toxic to cats, and can cause life-threatening kidney failure even in small amounts.
Whenever an animal is exposed to a possible toxin, time is of the essence....Call your vet or 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital
Ann
