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IN THIS
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Common
Poisonous Plants |
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Heat stroke can be fatal for pets as well as people. Every summer, animals
left in parked cars suffer brain damage and die from heatstroke. Dogs perspire
only around their paws, which is inadequate to cool them down on hot days. To
rid themselves of excess heat, animals pant. Nevertheless, an overheated dog can
suffer brain and organ damage after only 15 minutes. On steamy summer days, pets
should stay cool and out of the sun.
Signs of heat stroke in dogs:
• Body temperature of 104-110 degrees Fahrenheit
• Heavy panting, rapid heartbeat and glazed eyes
• Dark or bright red tongue and gums
• Excessive thirst and/or profuse salivation
• Lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination
• Staggering, stupor and/or seizures
• Bloody diarrhea or vomiting
• Unconsciousness
If your dog shows symptoms of heatstroke, immediately take steps to
gradually lower its body temperature, then call your vet. Following the tips
below could save your dog's life:
• Move the animal into the shade or an air-conditioned area.
• Apply ice packs or cold towels to your pet"s head, neck and chest or immerse
her in cool—but not cold—water. (Very cold water will constrict the blood
vessels and impede cooling.)
• Let your pet drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.
• Take your pet directly to a veterinarian. Even if the animal is cooler and
seems to have recovered, DON’T assume that your pet is okay. Internal organs—the
liver, kidneys, brain and more—are affected by heatstroke. Your vet must asses
your pet’s condition to make sure that everything is alright.
Pets that are especially susceptible to heat:
• Elderly, very young, and ill animals (dogs and cats) have a harder time
regulating their body temperature.
• Dogs with snub noses (also called short-nosed breeds) such as Pekingese, pugs,
and bulldogs, have a hard time staying cool because they can't pant efficiently.
They must stay out of the heat.
• Overweight dogs are prone to overheating. Their extra layers of fat act as
insulation that traps heat within their bodies.
• Large heavy-coated dog breeds.
• Dogs with heart or respiratory problems.
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How to Protect Your Pet on Hot Days |
How to Protect Your Pet on Hot Days
• Monitor your pet closely whenever he or she is outside during the
summer months.
• Provide plenty of water and shade for your pets while they are
outdoors so they can stay cool.
• Don't leave your pet outside unattended on a hot day, even in the
shade. Shade can move throughout the day, and pets can overheat and
become ill quickly Never leave a pet unattended in a parked car, even
for "just a minute.” An 85° F day can skyrocket a car"s interior to
deadly levels—120-130° F—in minutes, even with the windows slightly open
or when parked in the shade. The mild days of spring and fall can also
pose great danger.
• Limit exercise to early morning or evening hours. Remember that
asphalt can become scorching and burn your pet's paws.
• Hose down your dog before work, at lunch or whenever you can to
provide extra cooling on a hot day.
• Keep your pet well groomed and clipped. If your dog has very thick
hair, its fur may trap too much heat. Clipping it in summer will help
keep your pet cool.
• Use sunscreen on your dog’s nose and ears if necessary. Dogs with
light-colored noses or fur are especially vulnerable to sunburn and skin
cancer.
• Keep your pet away from crowded summer events like concerts, fairs and
fireworks. Loud noises and crowds combined with the heat and humidity
can be stressful and dangerous.
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More Pet Safety Tips |
• Keep your pet leashed while outdoors. That will be easier to
keep your pet from getting lost, fighting with other animals, and eating and
drinking things that could make it sick.
• Keep your cat indoors. Cats that are allowed outdoors unattended face a high
risk for disease and injury from vehicles and other animals. The estimated life
span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years, compared with 15 to 18
years for an indoor cat.
• Prevent access to pools. Your pet could drink the chemical-rich pool water.
Also, many pets can't swim, and those who can swim may be unable to get out of a
high-sided pool. If you must have your pet near a pool, supervise that animal
closely.
• Outfit your dog with a life preserver if you go on a boat. If your pet is
knocked off the boat, a life jacket could save its life.
• Keep your pet away from lawns and gardens that have been fertilized. Some
plant food, fertilizer and insecticides can be fatal if ingested by your pet.
Also, hundreds of plants produce toxic substances in amounts that can harm
animals.
• Make sure your pet always wears a collar and ID tag.
• Spay or neuter your dog or cat. Spaying and neutering provides many health
benefits.
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Parasite
Prevention |
• Choose flea and tick control products recommended by your vet.
Some over-the-counter products can be toxic, even when used according to the
instructions.
• Check with your vet to see if your pets should be taking heartworm prevention
medication. Heartworm disease, which is transmitted by a bite from an infected
mosquito, can be fatal if not treated. Both dogs and cats are at increased risk
of contracting heartworm during the summer.
• Keep the grass cut short to reduce the chances of ear mite and tick
infestations. Ear mites and ticks are more common in summer.
• Check your pet for ticks often.
• Remove the fecal matter from the yard as soon as possible. The feces will
attract flies which will bite your pet, usually in the ears.
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Riding in
Cars Wtih Pets |
• Never leave a pet unattended in a parked car, even with the
windows slightly open or when parked in the shade. Remember, the temperature
inside a car, even with the windows open a bit, will climb to 102 degrees in as
little as 10 minutes.
• Alert the management of the shopping area if you see an animal in a parked car
in the summer. If the owner does not return promptly, call local animal control
or the police. Time is critical. Dogs and cats can't perspire—they can dispel
heat only by panting and through the pads of their feet.
• Never allow dogs to ride with their heads out a car window since injury could
occur from flying debris. Animals should be kept in the car in a crate or
wearing a specially designed seatbelt harness for dogs.
• Always have dogs ride in the cab of a pick-up truck (in a crate or wearing a
seat belt harness designed for dogs) or in a secured crate in the bed of the
truck, not in the truck's open bed. (In some states, this is illegal.) If your
dog rides in the back of the truck and you stop short, swerve, or are hit by
another car, it could be thrown from the truck and into traffic. Flying debris
can also cause serious injury.
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Summer Travel With Your Pet |
• Check out veterinary clinics/hospitals in any area you travel
to with a pet. This will save valuable time in an emergency situation.
• Do not schedule air flights during peak periods, which are often plagued by
delays and stopovers. Choose early-morning or evening flights, when the sun is
less strong, and pick up your pet promptly upon arrival at your destination.
• Realize that many airlines have summer pet embargoes, and most trains and
ships do not allow pets other than service animals.
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Water Safety |
Not all dogs are excellent swimmers by nature. Especially if Fido
has underlying health problems, such as heart disease or obesity to contend
with. Consider protecting your pet just as your human family -- with a life
preserver. If your pet is knocked off of the boat (perhaps getting injured in
the process), or is tired/cold from choppy water or sudden storm, a life jacket
could be what saves your pet's life.
Learn more: Pet Life Jackets - Just Another Accessory or a Necessity?
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Antifreeze |
Antifreeze is actually a year-round hazard. With the warmer
temperatures of summer, cars over heat and may leak antifreeze. (This is the
bright green liquid found oozing from that car with the engine fan on.) Also,
people change their antifreeze and may spill or leave unused antifreeze out
where pets can access it. Antifreeze tastes sweet and is inviting to pets (and
children). It is also extremely toxic in very small amounts. Call your
Veterinarian (or Physician) immediately if any ingestion is suspected. A safe
alternative to Ethylene Glycol antifreeze is available, it is called propylene
glycol, and while it does cost a small amount more than 'regular' antifreeze, it
is worth the piece of mind.
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Common Poisonous Plants |
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While
plants add a touch of color and fragrance to our daily lives they also
inject an element of danger into the lives of our pets.
More than 700 plants have
been identified as producing physiologically active or toxic substances
in sufficient amounts to cause harmful effects in animals. Poisonous
plants produce a variety of toxic substances and cause reactions ranging
from mild nausea to death. Certain animal species may have a peculiar
vulnerability to a potentially poisonous plant. For more information
on plants that could be dangerous to pets, visit the
American Animal Hospital Association website.
Below is a list of some of the common plants which may produce a toxic
reaction in animals. This list is intended only as a guide to plants
which are generally identified as having the capability for producing a
toxic reaction:
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PLANT |
TOXIC PARTS |
PLANT TYPE |
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Aconite |
roots, foliage, seeds |
garden flower |
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Apple |
seeds |
cultivated tree |
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Arrowgrasses |
leaves |
marsh plants |
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Atropa belladonna |
entire plant esp. seeds, roots |
garden herb |
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Autumn Crocus |
entire plant |
garden flower |
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Azaleas |
entire plant |
cultivated & wild shrub |
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Baneberry |
berries, roots |
wildflower |
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Bird-of-Paradise |
pods |
garden flower |
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Black locust |
entire plant esp. bark, shoots |
tree |
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Bloodroot |
entire plant esp. stem, roots |
wildflower, herb |
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Box |
entire plant esp. leaves |
ornamental shrub |
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Buckeye |
sprouts, nuts, seeds |
tree |
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Buttercup |
entire plant esp. leaves |
wildflower, garden herb |
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Caladium |
entire plant |
house plant |
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Carolina jessamine |
flowers, leaves |
ornamental plant |
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Castor bean |
entire plant esp. beans |
house plant |
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Chinaberry tree |
berries |
tree |
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Chockcherries |
leaves, cherries, pit |
wild shrub |
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Christmas berry |
leaves |
shrub |
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Christmas Rose |
rootstock, leaves |
garden flower |
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Common privet |
leaves, berries |
ornamental shrub |
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Corn cockle |
seeds |
wildflower, weed |
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Cowbane |
entire plant esp. roots |
wildflower, herb |
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Cow cockle |
seeds |
wildflower, weed |
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Cowslip |
entire plant esp. leaves, stem |
wildflower, herb |
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Daffodil |
bulbs |
garden flower |
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Daphne |
bark, berries, leaves |
ornamental shrub |
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Day lily |
entire plant is toxic to cats |
garden & wildflower |
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Death Camas |
leaves, stems, seeds, flowers |
field herb |
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Delphinium (Larkspur) |
entire plant esp. sprouts |
wildflower |
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Dumbcane |
entire plant |
house plant |
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Dutchman's breeches |
roots, foliage |
wild & garden flower |
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Easter lily |
entire plant is toxic to cats |
flowering house plant |
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Elderberry |
leaves, bark, roots, buds |
tree |
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Elephant's ear |
entire plant |
house plant |
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English Ivy |
entire plant esp. leaves, berries |
ornamental vine |
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European Bittersweet |
entire plant esp. berries |
vine |
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False Flax |
seeds |
wild herb |
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False hellebore |
roots, leaves, seeds |
ornamental flower |
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Fan weed |
seeds |
wildflower, herb |
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Field peppergrass |
seeds |
wildflower, herb |
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Foxglove |
leaves |
wild & garden flower |
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Holly |
berries |
shrub |
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Horsechestnut |
nuts, sprouts |
tree |
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Horse nettle |
entire plant esp. berries |
wildflower, herb |
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Hyacinth |
bulbs |
wild & house plant |
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Iris |
leaves, roots |
wild & garden flower |
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Jack-in-the-pulpit |
entire plant esp. roots, leaves |
wildflower |
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Jatropha |
seeds |
tree, shrub |
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Jerusalem Cherry |
unripe fruit, foliage |
ornamental plant |
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Jimsonweed |
entire plant esp. seeds |
field plant |
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Laburum |
seeds, pods, flowers |
ornamental plant |
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Lantana |
foliage |
house plant |
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Larkspur |
young plants |
wildflower |
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Laurels |
leaves |
shrub |
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Lily of the valley |
leaves, flowers |
garden & wildflower |
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Lupines |
seeds, pods |
shrub |
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Manchineel Tree |
sap, fruit |
tree |
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Matrimony vine |
leaves, shoots |
ornamental vine |
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Mayapple |
unripe fruit, roots, foliage |
wildflower |
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Milk vetch |
entire plant |
wildflower |
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Mistletoe |
berries |
house plant |
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Monkshood |
entire plant esp. roots, seeds |
wildflower |
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Moonseed |
fruit, roots |
vine |
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Morning glory |
seeds, roots |
wildflower |
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Mountain mahogany |
leaves |
shrub |
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Mustards |
seeds |
wildflower |
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Narcissus |
bulbs |
garden flower |
|
Nicotiana |
leaves |
garden flower |
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Nightshade |
leaves, berries |
wildflower, vine |
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Oaks |
shoots, leaves |
tree |
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Oleander |
leaves |
ornamental shrub |
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Philodendrons |
entire plant |
house plant |
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Pokeweed |
roots, seeds, berries |
field plant |
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Poinsettia |
leaves, stem, flowers |
house plant |
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Poison hemlock |
leaves, stem, fruit |
field plant |
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Potato |
shoots, sprouts |
garden plant |
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Rattle box |
entire plant |
wildflower |
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Rhododendron |
leaves |
ornamental shrub |
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Rhubarb |
leaves |
garden plant |
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Rosary pea |
seeds |
house plant |
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Sago palm |
entire plant esp seeds |
ornamental plant |
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Skunk cabbage |
entire plant esp roots, leaves |
marsh plant |
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Smartweeds |
sap |
wildflower |
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Snow-on-the-mountain |
sap |
field plant |
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Sorghum |
leaves |
grass |
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Star of
Bethlehem |
entire plant |
wildflower |
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Velvet grass |
leaves |
grass |
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Wild black cherry |
leaves, pits |
tree |
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Wild radish |
seeds |
wildflower |
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Wisteria |
pods, seeds |
ornamental plant |
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Woody aster |
entire plant |
wildflower |
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Yellow jessamine |
entire plant |
ornamental vine |
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Yellow oleander |
entire plant esp. leaves |
garden plant |
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Yellow pine flax |
entire plant esp. seedpods |
wildflower |
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Yew |
bark, leaves, seeds |
ornamental tree |
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