Common Toxicities: Spring Flowers

Common ToxicitiesAdvice from an RVT
Written By Emily Fields

Hello Springtime!! Each and every year as we Midwesterners officially hit spring, it brings such joy and pleasure to freshen up flower beds, buy new pots, plant all the plants and flowers, watch your flowers bloom and spend as much time as possible outside!

Since becoming an RVT, I have learned to keep in mind the toxicities of outdoor plants which our so very smart puppers love to dig into! I mean, flower bulbs are super delicious, right?! Haha!

Here is a list of the most common Spring Flowers which cause toxicities in both dogs and cats!





Tulips & Hyacinths

What's Toxic?

The entire plants are! But the bulb contains the most potent toxins.

Tulips contain allergenic lactones while Hyacinths contain toxic alkaloids. Both of these flowers cause the same symptoms in both cats and dogs:

  • Drooling

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Inappetence (zero or minimal appetite)

  • Increased Heart Rate

  • Difficulty Breathing (Increased respiratory effort and rate.)

With smaller "doses" of the plant, typically you won't see any severe clinical signs, possibly vomiting and diarrhea. If your average sized dog were to eat an entire bag of bulbs, this is where you might see the more severe clinical signs: increased heart rate and difficulty breathing.

Not to mention the outer layer of the bulbs contain crystals which can cause micro cuts or scratching in the mouth, throat and esophagus, causing irritation amongst other symptoms you would associate with such "injuries".







Daffodils

What's toxic?

Again, the entire plant is, while the bulb is more concentrated.

Daffodils are quite similar toTulips -- the bulb being the most toxic while containing crystals in the outer layers.

However, the toxic alkaloid with this particular plant has quite strong emetic (vomiting/nausea) properties, triggering your pet to vomit and have abdominal pain and cramps.

The most common symptoms you'll see are:

  • Vomiting

  • Drooling

  • Nausea

  • Diarrhea



  • Increase Heart Rate

  • Abdominal Pain & Cramping

  • Abnormal Breathing

  • Cardiac Arrhythmias

With most plants, toxins, etc., the more they eat, the worse the symptoms! If your pet gets into a large amount, you might see more intense abdominal discomfort, vomiting, abnormal breathing and cardiac arrhythmias (if hooked up to the ECG at your Vet Clinic).









Crocus

What's toxic?




And again... the entire plant is! This includes Colchium, Autumn Crocus, Spring Crocus, Crocus.

The Crocus, Colchium and Spring Crocus bloom during spring time. These plants cause more minor symptoms:

  • GI Upset

  • Vomiting

  • Diarrhea

  • Inappetence

The Autumn Crocus, you guessed it, blooms during fall! This plant is more potent and causes more problems...

The symptoms seen with consumption are:

  • Severe GI Upset

    • Vomiting

    • Diarrhea

    • Inappetence

  • GI Bleeding

  • Liver and Kidney Damage

  • Respiratory Failure

  • Central Nervous System Abnormalities: Seizures

  • Death

I know, this sounds super scary!! This can be treated at your local Vet, however an Emergency and Critical Care practice might be needed for 24-hour care and support!

The toxic glycogens which cause all of the awful symptoms can be, let's say, "reversed" to simplify things. Many medications are needed to keep your pet stable and in good health.

The quicker you catch the ingestion of the bulbs or plants, the better the outcome!!













Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley was briefly discussed in my blog "Common Toxicities: Easter Lilies".

This type of Lily contains cardiac glycosides, which cause the heart to have abnormal rhythms and a decreased heart rate.

Most common symptoms:

  • Decreased Heart Rate

  • Lethargy

  • Vomiting

  • Cardiac Arrhythmias (shown on an ECG)

  • Seizures











Things to think about….

It is important to act rapidly when discovering your pet has gotten into these flowers or bulbs -- call your Vet Clinic immediately!!

If you've discovered the ingestion in the evening or weekend, most Vet Clinics leave their Emergency On-Call Doctor's number so you can talk with them. Or you can use Google to find the nearest Emergency Clinic. Most Doctor’s will need you to contact Pet Poison, or something alike, since they do not specialize in Toxicology. I do recommend just doing so prior or during your travel to the Vet.

Pet Poison will ask you questions, speak with one of their specialists, assign you a case number (you will need to remember this) and prompt you to go see your vet if needed to do so, as some toxicities they can recommend at-home remedies. Once you’ve arrived to your Vet Clinic, you will let them know your Case Number and they can view everything about this toxicity and the best course of treatment, plus anything that could go wrong and how to treat it! This is very handy, and we used them daily during my time in the ICU and ER.

While some people report their pet's getting into such plants and not having any issues, each pet is different!!

Vomiting may be your worst concern at the time, but remember, it's the body's way of ridding toxins, so when your vet continues to let your pet vomit (to an extent), don't worry and trust the process!!

It's fun for your dog to watch you acting like a dog: digging into the dirt, planting something super intriguing and then covering it up, so keep that in mind while doing so. You could put up a small fence or barrier to keep your pets away from those areas.

And our way-too-curious cats love smelling, brushing up against, and taking little nibbles out of most life-forms, especially plants! So keeping them occupied elsewhere can decrease the chances of ingestion.

Emily Fields
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Common Toxicities: Easter Lily