Spring pet toxins: Recognition, triage, and client education

You know that pets can get into toxic substances any time of year, but understanding what toxins are most prevalent in certain seasons—and just how dangerous those toxins can be for dogs and cats—is important for every member of the veterinary team (and for your clients, too).

From the individual answering the client’s call, to the technicians and assistants taking a history, to the doctors determine the course of action to take, getting everyone on the same page about the types of toxins your patients are most likely to encounter is crucial. After all, when it comes to poisons and pets, every moment counts.

Springtime activities, landscaping changes, and holidays drive predictable increases in certain toxic exposures. And awareness doesn’t just help your team remain ready to see these cases, said Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, veterinarian, director of veterinary medicine, and senior veterinary toxicologist at the Pet Poison Helpline: “When veterinary teams anticipate seasonal toxicities, they can recognize symptoms earlier and educate clients before exposures happen.”

(The download above and items below include a list of common, seasonal spring toxins; not every potential toxin is included. You can find a full list of poisons here.)

Spring holidays, including Easter and Mother’s Day, often involve floral arrangements. And while those bouquets can be lovely, they can also pose a threat to pets in the home. Here’s what your team—and your clients—should be aware of.

Lily toxicosis (cats)

“Lily exposure should always be treated as a potential emergency in cats, even if the patient appears clinically normal,” said Schmid. This means that even the appearance of pollen on the nose or whiskers requires an immediate visit.

Clinical presentation of lily toxicosis can include the following:

Early

• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Hypersalivation

Later

• Polyuria/polydipsia
• Acute kidney injury
• Anuria

Chocolate toxicity

Easter baskets, fancy chocolates, and baked goods can lead to lots more chocolate than usual in the home. Great news for the human chocolate-lovers in your house, but it also leads to plenty of chances for opportunistic pets to get into those goodies—and that’s a frightening proposition.

Clinical presentation of chocolate toxicity can include the following:

• Tachycardia
• Agitation
• Tremors
• Seizures

Xylitol (artificial sweetener)

Xylitol can be found in all kinds of low-sugar and sugar-free treats, including gum, candy, baked goods, peanut butter, toothpaste, and more. And for nosy pups, that’s not great. “Xylitol exposure can cause dangerously low blood sugar in dogs very quickly,” said Schmid.

Possible symptoms can include:

• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Collapse
• Tremors

Cannabis/THC exposure

Celebrating with a gummy might be fun for age-appropriate adults, but cannabis exposure in pets is increasing, and that’s a concerning trend for toxicologists like Schmid. Regardless of the legality of THC in your area, it’s vital that clients know they can be honest with you about potential exposures.

But, in case they’re not forthcoming, it’s extra important for your team to know what to watch for:

• Ataxia
• Urinary incontinence
• CNS depression

The best way to ensure your clients give you all the information you need—even if it’s a bit sensitive—is to normalize nonjudgmental history taking, Schmid said.

The days are longer, the weather is (maybe) getting warmer, and plenty of dogs (and some cats) are enjoying more time outdoors, both with their people and unsupervised. And that provides plenty of chances for them to encounter toxic plants, shrubs, fungi, and more, such as the following.

Azalea/rhododendron toxicity

These beauties are used frequently in landscaping and gardens, which means lots of pets have access to them. According to Schmid, “Ingestion often occurs after pruning or yard cleanup when plant material is accessible.”

Clinical signs can include:

• GI upset
• Bradycardia
• Hypotension
• Arrhythmias

A related concern is fertilizer—specifically any using a product called milorganite, which is made from sewer sludge  and can cause ataxia and neurologic signs.

A little seasonal spring cleaning might result in nice, clean pet bowls and fresh beds, but the products used in the process can pose a serious risk to any pets in the home.

Cleaning product exposure

Exposure doesn’t require a pet to chew through the product’s packaging; it can even occur from a simple lick out of the mop bucket. This is another instance where nonjudgemental history taking is paramount; looking away for only a second can lead to a pet lapping up a toxin, and the sooner clients clue you in to this being a possibility, the more quickly you can take action.

Clinical signs can include:

• Oral ulceration
• Hypersalivation
• Vomiting

Rodenticides

Often, these can be leftover from winter and may include baits in garages, sheds,  and crawlspaces. Exposure is harmful to both dogs and cats—and just because a product says it’s pet-resistant, that does not mean it’s actually pet-proof.

Depending on the active ingredient, symptoms of exposure can include:

• Bleeding issues
• Brain swelling

If the client isn’t able to determine what type of bait their pet was exposed to, Schmid recommends empirical treatment.

Ice melt exposure

In some areas, springtime doesn’t automatically mean we’re done with snow, and this makes exposure to ice melting products likely. If clients are using any type of rock salts to melt the ice near their home, pets who lick or eat the ice and snow those products have been in contact with can be in trouble. (And yes, this is true even for products labeled as pet-safe.)

Clinical signs can include:

• Paw irritation
• Electrolyte imbalances
• GI upset

Smart spring strategies for veterinary teams

Prevention via client education is a strong first step toward keeping your patients safe. Share the handout in this article , hang posters in your exam rooms, and, perhaps, most importantly, drive home the fact that quick action doesn’t just provide the best chance at a pet surviving exposure to a toxin, but it also typically costs less than treatment once the toxin has had more time to take effect.

A few points to make in the client education realm include:

• Floral awareness campaigns around holidays, like Pet Poison Helpline’s No Lilies for Kitties campaign
• Keeping chocolates and other treats containing chocolate, xylitol, and THC safely stored

• Checking labels on gum, candy, and peanut butter for xylitol
• Cleaning up yard waste promptly (and opting for pet-friendly landscaping when possible)
• Keeping purses and bags out of reach
• Preventing pets from getting up close to cleaning products
• Doing a seasonal check of sheds, garages, and other areas where clients may have left rodent bait over the winter
• Wiping paws after exposure to slushy ice/snow (and preventing pets from eating it)

“Seasonal education—both in the exam room and on social media—can prevent many toxic exposures before they occur,” said Schmid. Your clients want to keep their pets safe all year round, and using your email list, social media channels, or even offering paper handouts to clients at discharge can go a long way.

She also suggests working with receptionists on triage training so they can accurately identify emergency calls. “With potential poisonings, sometimes, if we wait and see, it could be fatal to the pet,” Schmid emphasized, “and/or it could be extremely stressful and financially burdensome for the pet parent. The more time that passes between when it happened to when therapy has started, sometimes we have to do more for them, or there’s a higher risk of having them have more symptoms develop.” For that reason, Schmid likes to say that the first sign is no sign at all.  So, if exposure is even suspected, even if no symptoms are present, taking action is still wise.

However, if a client calls suspecting poison because of a symptom, it’s most often going to be vomiting, perhaps alongside some sluggishness or weakness.

Remember, every visit is an opportunity to help your clients keep their pets safe, so take a moment during your wellness visits to share a few seasonal toxin reminders. Encourage them to call you or a resource like Pet Poison Helpline to take action right away if they think there’s any chance their pet has encountered a toxin.

And keep in mind that veterinarians can call Pet Poison Helpline, too.

“Early intervention is your highest chance of full recovery and survival,” Schmid reiterated. “Our goal when we’re talking with veterinarians is always to get that patient back home to its family where it belongs. And if we can start treating animals before any signs have developed, they typically will have a very high likelihood of having a full recovery or going home.”

Photo credit:  AAHA

Disclaimer: Trends content is meant to inform, educate, and inspire by providing an array of diverse viewpoints. Any content published should not be viewed as an official stance, position, or endorsement by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors. This article had editing assistance from an AI software.