December has come upon us fast, and with it comes all those wonderful holiday decorations. While they make our home pretty and festive, they may also be a temptation to our four legged family members! Cats will climb the Christmas tree and chew the branches, dogs will eat the tinsel and garland. Gastro-Intestinal obstruction is a fairly common occurrence here at VACC, but so is toxicity. There are three very popular holiday plants that, when ingested, are quite toxic to dogs and cats.
Peace Lillies are a lovely plant and a favorite around the holiday season. Unfortunately, they can cause a lot of problems if eaten by your pet. The most common symptoms are GI related symptoms. Peace lillies cause significant swelling of the oral tissues and intestines. Most often we will see excessive drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. In rare cases tongue swelling, trouble swallowing, and difficulty breathing may also occur. Sometimes they may also cause acute kidney failure in cats. Treatment will depend on the severity of the reaction and ingestion, but your pet may need to be hospitalized on intravenous fluids and monitored for any signs of respiratory distress.
English holly, also known as Christmas holly, is another festive holiday plant that is toxic when ingested. Like the peace lily, clinical signs include excessive drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. However in rare cases with holly if the berries are ingested seizures or tremors may be seen.
Mistletoe may be a fun Christmas tradition with your sweetheart, but it should be kept high and out of pets reach. Also causing gastro-intestinal upset, mistletoe when ingested can lead to a drop in blood pressure and low heart rate. Depending on the amount ingested and the severity of the reaction, pets will need to be treated for dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea. In very severe cases seizure, coma, and death can occur.
If you know or even suspect that your pet has ingested a potentially toxic plant call poison control immediately, followed by your veterinarian. The pet poison helpline number is 1-800-213-6680. If you have any further questions about toxic plants, the ASPCA website, http://www.aspca.org/, is a valuable resource of information!
Happy Holidays to you, your family, and of course your pets from all of us here Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod!
