With the first hints of spring sunshine evident and Easter around the corner, many people are tidying their gardens after the ravages of a long hard winter. While it is great for us and our pets to enjoy the warmer weather, we have started seeing the consequences of springtime gardening at the surgery.
Blossom is an 8 month old Chocolate Labrador. Like most Labradors, Blossom’s stomach and its contents is one of her most pressing concerns. So when Blossom saw a bag of Daffodil bulbs waiting to be planted, the temptation was too much. Daffodil bulbs are highly toxic so when her owner found her with her head in the bag finishing off the last one, she contacted the surgery straight away. The bulbs did not immediately make Blossom feel ill but the injection I had to give her to make her vomit certainly made her look greener than the owners garden!
Buckets of bulb-filled vomit later, Blossom could go home and hopefully the experience will have taught her a lesson.
Most types of bulbs are toxic so great care should be taken to keep them out of reach.
Another common and very distressing scenario we see through the summer is Slug Pellet Poisoning. The bright blue pellets seem to be very attractive to animals; the result of ingestion is very severe fits and lots of salivation. The fits can cause permanent brain damage and often lead to pets being put to sleep. Slug Pellets should be kept in a sealed container well out of reach as many pets, if given the chance, will eat large quantities causing serious problems.
Many fertilisers and weed killers are now pet and child safe however even if they are not toxic if eaten, they are often irritant. Keep animals off treated areas as recommended in the products instructions and if your pet should stray onto a treated area, wash their paws immediately with lots of fresh water.
If you are concerned that your pet has eaten something in the garden, contact your Vet immediately. If you are taking your pet to the Vet, take the product packaging with you as it will have important information about the potential hazards.
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