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IN THIS
ISSUE |
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Things to remember this spring |
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Most common poisonous plants |
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Spring is a time of new beginnings. But, it is also a time to watch for
dangers to our pets.
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Chocolate can be fatal to dogs, hamsters and rats. Dogs
love chocolate and will hunt the smell. Keep all chocolate behind closed
doors or cabinets. In a small dog, even 1/3 ounce of baking chocolate can be
very serious. Do not let your dog eat any kind of chocolate, from pure
chocolate bunnies to brownies and cookies. Bread dough rises and doubles in
size. This can cause dogs and cats to need surgery if the raw dough is eaten
and stays in the stomach. Even a small amount can be a problem, so watch
when baking that your animals do not sneak a taste. Large amounts of onions,
garlic, raisins, grapes, avocados, coffee, salt, fatty foods, cashews,
macadamia nuts, moldy food, alcohol and some artificial sweeteners, such as xylitol, can be dangerous to your pets.
Artificial grass, ribbons and tinsel in holiday baskets can cause problems
for both dogs and cats. Cats seem particularly attracted to this kind of
material. Hard boiled eggs left out of the refrigerator can spoil. Dogs will
readily eat them off a table or left in the lawn after a holiday hunt.
Liquid potpourri can be dangerous to cats, birds or dogs if they drink it or
lick it off their fur. Scents of some essential oils can be harmful to
birds.
Use these items in well-ventilated rooms, even in rooms where pets do not
go, or do
not use them. Some birds are even sensitive to air fresheners, so do not use
them in a room with a bird. Always call the Poison Center at
1-800-222-1222 if you think your pet has been poisoned. Keep a bottle of
hydrogen peroxide on hand to make your cat or dog vomit, but only use it if
the Poison Center tells you to.
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April Showers Require Dry Shelter Areas
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Rain, rain and more rain. This means your
precious pet will need proper shelter to stay dry. Be sure to provide
fresh bedding and shelter from windy storms that could push water into a
normally dry abode!
Cleaning outside food and water bowls after it rains is important due to
smog and related toxins that may wind up in the bowls! If you are not
using filtered or bottled water for your pet, be sure to be alert to
news regarding sewage leaks that may effect your water supply.
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Grooming Needs |
On top of everything else, this is a time when many animals will
start to shed their winter coats. Extra vitamins might be a good
idea. Owners should plan on daily brushing and a trip or two to the
groomer to help manage this fur loss! Be sure to buy extra vacuum
bags and some pet-hair-pickup devices for the furniture!
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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 |
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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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