As we gardeners work on our rose garden,
be aware of those fertilizers. While most are not very toxic (resulting in
minor gastrointestinal irritation when consumed), some fertilizers can be
fatal without treatment. Here are a few ingredients to be aware of so you
know what toxins and symptoms to watch out for.
• Blood Meal
This is dried, ground, and flash-frozen blood and contains
12% nitrogen. While it’s a great organic fertilizer, if ingested,
it can cause vomiting (of some other poor animal’s blood) and diarrhea.
More importantly, it can result in severe pancreatitis, which is inflammation
of the pancreas. Some types of blood meal are also fortified with iron,
resulting in iron toxicity, so make sure to know what’s in your bag
of blood!
• Blue–green algae or Cyanobacteria
Growth of toxic algae can be found in both fresh and salt
water throughout the warm regions of the world. Blue-green algae becomes
concerning when algae accumulates on the surface of the water during hot,
dry weather with wind that can shift concentrated algae mats along the
shorelines. Affected water may have the appearance of pea soup with thick
layers of algae on the surface. Blooms of blue-green algae can contain
hepatoxins and/or neurotoxins, depending on the species. Exposures occur
when dogs ingest or swim in water that contains the cyanobateria. Clinical
signs with the hepatoxin variety are vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weakness,
shock, icterus (yellow gums), and potentially death within 24 hours to
several days. Clinical signs seen with ingestion of the neurotoxin species
occur acutely with onset of tremors, lethargy, seizures, difficult breathing,
and death within a hour.
• Bone Meal
This is made up of defatted, dried, and flash-frozen animal
bones that are ground to a powder. This “bone” is also what
makes it so palatable to your dog, so make sure to keep your pet from digging
in it and ingesting the soil. While this also makes a great organic fertilizer,
it can become a problem when consumed as the bone meal forms a large cement-like
bone ball in the stomach – which can cause an obstruction in the
gastrointestinal tract – resulting in possible surgery to remove
it.
• Compost bins or piles
While we applaud you for composting, make sure to do so appropriately – your
compost shouldn’t contain any dairy or meat products, and should
always be fenced off for the sake of your pets and wildlife. These piles
of decomposing and decaying organic matter and molding food products have
the potential to contain tremorgenic mycotoxins, which are toxic to both
pets and wildlife. Even small amounts ingested can result in clinical signs
within 30 minutes to several hours. Clinical signs include agitation, hyperthermia,
hyper-responsiveness, panting, drooling, and vomiting, and can progress
to serious CNS signs (including incoordination, tremors, and seizures!).
Ruleouts for this include toxins that cause “shake and bake,” such
as metaldehydes (snail bait), strychnine, organophosphates, and methylxanthines.
Prompt decontamination is the key if the patient isn’t demonstrating
clinical signs yet – this includes inducing vomiting and giving activated
charcoal. Once the patient is symptomatic, aggressive supportive care includes
the use of IV fluids, temperature regulation, cooling methods (cooling
down to a temperature of 103.5? F/39.7? C), IV muscle relaxants (methocarbamol),
and anticonvulsants (i.e., diazepam, phenobarbital).
• Fireworks
These can result in burns; injury to the mouth, eyes, or
paws; and possible heavy metal toxicity if ingestion. Fireworks can contain
iron, copper, barium, mercury, phosphorus and magnesium in the coloring
agents. The amount of heavy metal varies widely, depending on the type
of fireworks, quantity ingested, and coloring agent used. Clinical symptoms
seen with fireworks ingestion include vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, tremors
and seizures. Induction of emesis and activated charcoal are not recommended
and animals should be immediately evaluated at a veterinary clinic for
injury.
• Iron
This is commonly added to fertilizers, and can result in
iron toxicity (from ingestion of elemental iron). This is different from “total” iron
ingestion, and can be confusing to differentiate. When in doubt, have a
medical professional at Pet Poison Helpline assist you with finding out
if the amount ingested was toxic or not. Large ingestions can result in
vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and potential cardiac and liver effects.
• Mulch Products
Cocoa bean mulch, a byproduct of chocolate production, is
the discarded hulls or shells of the cocoa bean. This mulch is frequently
used for home landscaping and is often very fragrant, especially when first
placed in the yard and warmed by the sun. This tempting smell of warm chocolate
often attracts and encourages dogs (Labradors!) to ingest the mulch. Through
the processing procedure of creating cocoa bean mulch, much of the methylxanthine
poison is removed, but still potentially contains 0.19% to 2.98% theobromine
and 0.5% to 0.85% caffeine. All animals can be affected by methyxanthylates,
but dogs tend to have more frequent exposure opportunities to the chocolates,
coffee beans and cocoa mulch that contain them. Clinical signs include
vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, tremors, tachycardia, tachypnea, and
potential seizures. Symptoms are dose-dependent and an accurate dose is
very difficult to determine because of the variation of the concentration
of methyxanthylates from one mulch product to next.
There have been anecdotal reports of a dog dying after ingesting
cocoa bean shell mulch, and this has been rapidly circulating on the Internet.
That said, how toxic is this stuff, really? The first report of this poisoning
was actually reported by Pet Poison Helpline's Drs. Lynn Hovda and R. Kingston
at the 1993 International Congress of Clinical Toxicology. Dr. Steve Hansen
from ASPCA published this again 10 years later (Clin Tox 2003;41:5). Recently,
Dr. Hansen stated that the cause of the one fatality (a young Labrador)
was "highly suspect." While theobromine and caffeine (methylxanthines)
can be toxic, clinical signs are usually more PROGRESSIVE - such as vomiting,
diarrhea, more vomiting, trembling, a racing heart rate, and then seizures
in very high doses. Cocoa bean mulch is very unlikely to result in sudden
death without showing other signs. Nevertheless, play it safe and don’t
allow pets to ingest this product! Typically, after a first rain, the smell
dissipates, making the mulch less attractive to pets.
• Mushrooms
There are various types of mushrooms located throughout the
United States that may be non-toxic; however, other types of mushrooms
may be very dangerous and include general groups that are gastric irritants,
hallucinogenic, or hepatotoxic (from cyclopeptides, hydrazine toxins, isoxazoles,
or psilocybin compounds). The latter group includes Amanita mushrooms,
which can result in acute hepatic necrosis (i.e., liver failure).
While the frequency of dangerous mushroom toxicity is likely
very low, the lack of readily available identification of mushrooms lands
all ingestions in the category of toxic until proven otherwise. With ingestion
of any mushroom, immediate emesis is recommended, provided the animal is
alert, asymptomatic, and able to adequately protect his or her upper airway.
Gastric lavage may be necessary for animals already exhibiting clinical
signs. Clinical symptoms are dependent on the species of mushroom ingested,
the specific toxin within that mushroom, and the individual’s own
susceptibility. Early clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
pain, ataxia, depression, tremors, and seizures, with liver and renal damage
occurring later. One can collect all the pieces of the mushroom in a paper
towel, place them in a labeled (DO NOT EAT! POISONOUS) paper bag, and refrigerate
the sample for future possible identification. If you see your dog eat
a mushroom, contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline immediately!
Better yet, make sure to scour your yard frequently and get rid of any
mushrooms growing out there!
• Mouse and rat poisons (rodenticides)
As we prepare to winterize our garage, cabin, or house, keep
in mind that there are some more dangerous rat poisons to pick from than
others. Always make sure to place these poisonous baits in areas where
your pet can’t reach them (i.e., high up on shelves, hidden behind
work spaces, etc.). Currently there are four separate categories of rodenticides
available for general use. Each has a different and unique mechanism of
action. This results in four different sets of clinical signs in both the
target rodent population and our curious pets who might consume them. All
of these rodenticides also pose the potential for “relay toxicity”– in
other words, if your dog eats a whole bunch of dead mice poisoned by rodenticides,
they can get the secondary effects from this. This is most commonly seen
in birds of prey (i.e., raptors), so we generally recommend avoiding them
in the first place!
Long-acting anticoagulants (LAACs): By far the most well-known
and perhaps most widely used rodenticides are the LAACS. This family of
rodenticides works by causing internal bleeding and preventing the body
from clotting normally. Common signs include coughing (blood in the lungs),
large and soft lumps under the skin, vomiting, nose bleeds, bruised skin,
exercise intolerance, weakness, bloody urine, bleeding from the gums, and
inappetance. With LAACS, it takes 2-5 days before the poison actually takes
effect and before clinical signs of bleeding, but chronic ingestion shortens
the time period. If there is any suspicion of ingestion, a prothrombin
test, usually referred to as a PT test, supports the diagnosis (it takes
48 hours after ingestion before this PT test will be abnormal). Fortunately,
prescription-strength Vitamin K1, the antidote, is routinely found in most
veterinary offices.
Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3): One of the most dangerous rat
poisons out there is a Vitamin D3-based rodenticide. This type basically
increases calcium blood levels so high that it causes a secondary kidney
failure. With this type of rat poison, only a tiny amount needs to be ingested
before it causes a problem, and long-term, expensive treatment is usually
necessary. This is the type to avoid in your garage, as it has no antidote!
Bromethalin: This rarer type of rat poison doesn’t
have an antidote and results in brain swelling. If toxic amounts are ingested,
we see clinical signs of walking drunk, tremoring, and seizuring. Treatment
is symptomatic and may require an extended amount of time in the veterinary
hospital due to long-lasting effects (days up to a week).
Phosphides: This type of poison is more commonly seen in
mole and gopher poison, and typically doesn’t come in the classic
blue-green or yellow blocks or pellets. Phosphide rodenticides typically
come in a poisoned “gummy worm” form that you put in the dirt.
These types of phosphide poisons result in phosphine gas in the stomach,
resulting in severe bloat, profuse vomiting, abdominal pain, and potential
lung and heart complications. Like cholecalciferol poisons, it only takes
a small amount of poison to cause a big problem! Make sure to keep these
toxins away from your pets, as this type can be poisonous to you too (if
you inhale the phosphine gas if your dog vomits!).
• Rose and plant fertilizers
Some of these fertilizers contain disulfoton or other types
of organophosphates (OP). As little as 1 teaspoon of 1% disulfoton can
kill a 55 lb dog, so be careful! Organophosphates, while less commonly
used, can result in severe symptoms [including SLUD signs (which abbreviate
for salivation, lacrimation, urination, and defecation), seizures, difficulty
breathing, hyperthermia, etc. In some cases, it can be fatal!
• Pesticides/Insecticides
Most pesticides or insecticides (typically those that come
in a spray can) are basic irritants to the pet and are usually not a huge
concern unless a pet’s symptoms become persistent. Some may contain
an organophosphate which can be life threatening when consumed in large
quantities. It is always best to speak to a trained medical professional
if there are any questions.
• Slug and Snail Baits
Slug and snail baits are commonly used on the West coast
and in warm-weather conditions, and are available in a variety of forms
(pellets, granular, powder, and liquid). The active ingredient is typically
metaldehyde, which is toxic to all species (particularly dogs). When ingested,
metaldehyde results in clinical signs that resulted in the nickname “shake
and bake.” Within 1 to 2 hours of ingestion, clinical signs of salivation,
restlessness, vomiting, and incoordination are seen, which then progress
to tremors, seizures, and secondary severe hyperthermia. Treatment consists
of early decontamination, supportive care, temperature regulation (cooling
down to a temperature of 103.5 F/39.7 C), anticonvulsants, and muscle
relaxants. Generally, the prognosis is favorable if treatment is quickly
and aggressively implemented.
Pet Poison Helpline (PPH) is an Animal Poison Control that
provides treatment advice and recommendations relating to exposures to
potential dangerous plants, products, medications, and substances, to veterinarians,
veterinary staff and pet owners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please be
aware there is a $35/per case consultation fee. Pet Poison Helpline is
located in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Helpline number is 1-800-213-6680.
If you suspect your pet has ingested any of these items or
any other questionable substance, call Pet Poison Helpline or your veterinarian
for assistance. Accurate and timely identification of the suspected substance
is very important. Having the container, package, or label in hand will
save valuable time and may save the life of your pet.
Printed with permission: PetPoisonHelpline.com (Outdoor
Toxins)
At Cheshire Crossing Animal Hospital, the doctors and
staff consider dental health to be a top priority. A thorough examination
of the mouth with emphasis on the teeth and gums is an integral part of
every pet’s physical exam.
Disease of the gum tissue, known as periodontal disease, affects 85% of
adult dogs and cats. Left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to pain,
bad breath, and tooth loss. Over time, chronic bacterial infection of the
mouth can lead to disease in other parts of the body such as the heart
and kidneys.
We all know that caring for our own teeth involves frequent brushing,
flossing, and rinsing. And while we may have the very best...read more
