Spring toxins to watch out for to keep your pets safe

If you find you have a rodent problem and you have pets, never use rodenticides. They are as attractive to your cat or dog as they are to the rodents they are designed to kill, and that’s why they account for so much of the pet poisoning seen by vets every year.  

Symptoms such as weakness, lethargy, lameness or bruising are typical, as well as vomiting, excitability, changes in body temperature and fitting. Even if you haven’t used this poison yourself but your pet is displaying symptoms, it could be that they have eaten poison elsewhere - for example, a poisoned mouse – so always seek veterinary advice immediately.  

6. Grass cuttings 

Don’t be tempted to give your rabbit a handful of mown grass cuttings, they can make your rabbit very ill. Heat from the lawnmower triggers decomposition of the grass, leading to bacterial fermentation. Rabbits are unable to vomit so, even if their bodies want to eject it, the food has a long journey before making its way out the other end. Meanwhile, the fermentation process continues, causing the production of gases inside the rabbit’s tummy resulting in painful bloating and diarrhoea.  

This is the same for horses. They too are unable to vomit. Fermentation of grazed grass naturally occurs further down the digestive tract in horses, but if they consume grass cuttings, fermentation will have already begun and may continue in the stomach, which cannot deal with it. This can lead to colic or even rupture of the stomach, with potentially fatal consequences.    

As the grass cuttings will already be chopped up, the horse will be able to eat it more quickly, especially if it likes bolting its feed. The cuttings can then form a clump, causing choke in the horse, which is an obstruction of the horse’s oesophagus.    

Any sudden change to the content or volume of a horse’s diet can lead to colic, or laminitis, an extremely painful inflammation in the hooves.  Please, please, never put grass cuttings in a horse’s reach.  

7. Spring flowering plants poisonous to rabbits 

The list is long. Most bulb-grown flowers are toxic, as well as many other plants, including azaleas, buttercups, delphiniums, foxgloves, hellebores, primroses, rhododendrons and rhubarb…and neither rabbits nor horses are very discerning. Depending on the plant, symptoms can appear within a couple of hours, or organs can be affected after a period of toxic build-up, by which time it may be too late to do anything.   

Therefore, it’s important to keep grazing animals away from these dangers. Make sure you fence off any areas where your horse or rabbit could graze on anything other than grass, or plants you know to be safe.  

Easter eggs and other chocolate treats look enticing but can pose a real danger. Chocolate can be highly toxic for your pets so needs to be kept out of their reach. Dogs especially, will consume enormous amounts of chocolate if given the chance. This can lead to vomiting and diarrhoea, and in extreme circumstances heart problems and seizures. The darker the chocolate, the greater the risk. 

The second hazard posed by chocolates and Easter eggs is the packaging. Dogs will often consume the chocolate with the wrappers still on, and some cats are enticed by the sparkly wrapper and try to eat it. The box and the wrappers if consumed can lodge in throats or the digestive tract causing a blockage that may require surgery to remove it.

Rabbits are delicate creatures and the tiniest amount of chocolate, bread, avocado or potato will cause severe illness. Any ingestion of these foods should be treated as an emergency. 

Perhaps less well known are the toxic properties of sugar-free sweets. These are good for our human waistlines but often contain Xylitol which has been found to be toxic to both cats and dogs. Even a small amount can affect your pet’s insulin level causing low blood sugar and this can lead to your pet falling into a coma 

Lars Mortensen, Head Veterinarian at Agria App says:

"In the spring and summer it is useful for pet owners to be aware of which garden plants are toxic to our pets so we can stop curious noses and create safe outdoor spaces especially for rabbits. Examples of common garden plants that are toxic to dogs, cats and rabbits include lilies, Poppies, Azalea, English ivy, giant hogweed, geraniums, wood sorrel, hydrangeas, and any spring bulb flowers such as daffodils and crocus."

"The warmer spring weather is a welcome change for the garden slugs and snails and curious young dogs who often sniff out and lick or eat these less desirable garden guests.

This should be prevented as far as possible, as they can carry a type of lungworm larvae which can infect the dog. Disease is luckily relatively rare but once infected, the adult worms can then live and breed in the heart and pulmonary artery where they can cause serious illness, mainly due to the very strong inflammatory response and their ability to cause bleeding disorders"

"Unfortunately, getting rid of all slugs and snails isn't easy, or realistic either and prevention is therefore best achieved by using regular worm treatment with specific wormers that kill this parasite. Your vet will be able to talk to you about the risk in your specific area, if prevention is recommended, and which products you can use as prevention"

"Other types of parasitic worms can affect the lungs of dogs and cats but they are far less pathogenic and the risk of severe disease from these parasites are much lower in healthy dogs and cats."

"If you use garden products such as slug killers, fertilisers and weed killers, then it is important to know which products are pet friendly and which are toxic.

Some products can result in vomiting and even severe reactions such as liver failure if pets come into contact with them. It is therefore very important to read the label and ask the shop staff or phone the manufacturer if there is any doubt about your pets safety. And remember, prevention is the best cure, so keep all gardening products and chemicals out of reach of your pets and children."

"Early intervention reduces the risk of toxicity so you should contact a vet urgently if you think your pet has ingested any toxic substance."

"Bumble bees, honey bees and queen wasps which have overwintered can often be found on the ground in spring and it is worth looking out for these as well. Their stings are very rarely serious for our pets but are nevertheless a bad experience for both our pets and the insects. Restlessness followed by mild lethargy and mild swelling are common signs and the swelling usually resolves within a day. You should contact a vet if a sting results in persistent pain, any swelling of the tongue or mouth, other areas with severe swelling or increased respiratory rate and/or breathing difficulties."

Check out our article on preventative healthcare for your pets - to learn more about things like tick prevention, vaccinations, neutering and worming.