Pet Alert: How to prevent your pets from poisonous plants?

There are several times when pet-owners are left frazzled by the mischievous doings of their cats and dogs. They are known for running around the house almost the entire day and breaking things, messing up rooms, destroying carpets, chewing on to anything they find in their near vicinity and what not. In houses where the owners actually own a lot of plants, they have to be very careful about the plants they choose to keep. Not only is that it better to keep the pets away from any plant so that they do not break the beautiful pots and vases as well.

Accidental poisoning is a very big problem that pet-owners face if they have plants or garden in and around their house. To avoid such mishaps to occur a few basic instructions can be followed to prevent your pets from harmful plants and getting sick from them:

1. Keep flowers and other plants in an elevated surface like a high table or a hanging basket so that your pets cannot come in contact with them directly. Keeping plants out of their rich is both safe for the pets and also prevents from less breakage and dirtying around the house. 

2. Keep all kinds of emergency information handy so that if in case any hazard occurs you can immediately contact someone over phone to get the correct guidance and remedies for your pet. 

3. If you see symptoms like vomiting, nausea, dizziness or any abnormal behavior in your pets, make sure to immediately take them to a vet to get a professional consultancy and treat them with proper medication.

4. Be very careful when using chemical items like pesticides or fertilizers on plants. Make sure when you spray such chemicals, your cat or dog is not close by as just by sniffing on these toxic matter, it can be a risk to their health. Not only that, even when you buy and store such chemical fertilizers and pesticides, or any other chemical products for your garden, make sure to keep it in a safe place inaccessible and out of reach from your cats and dogs.

5. You must occasionally receive online flower bouquets and its likes as a gift from friends or make flower arrangements during a party or an event organized in your home. You might make sure to keep it away from your pets. But when it comes to dumping the wilted flowers, you usually throw it in a dustbin and completely forget about it. Often our dustbins are the most favorite attractions for our cats and dogs and they love to poke their faces and nibble on things inside the waste baskets. So, if they come in contact with those dead plants, it can also be a cause for infection in your pets. So please make sure to completely dispose off any decayed flowers or other such plants outside the house. 

6. Identify which plants can be extremely toxic for your pets and avoid buying them such as sago palm and lilies which are known to be extremely dangerous for cats ‘ and dogs’ health as they can cause kidney and liver failure. Also, plants such as rhododendrons, philodendrons and dieffenbachia are known to contain calcium oxalate crystals in them which cause drooling, swelling of the mouth and vomiting if consumed by the animals. 

7. If you have a garden, make sure your pets do not roam around frequently surrounded by plants and flowers. Often these soils are home for many insects and germs and your pets are prone to getting fleas and ticks in their skin which can lead to extreme levels of irritation and burning and cause pain to your pets. 

8. Make sure to have a first-aid pet kit always available with the basic supplies like some gauze, and activated charcoal. For example: a small doze of Benadryl can give quick relief to your pet from stings from bees or other insects lurking around your plants. A syringe without needle is also to be kept as it is helpful to squirt any small doses of medicine or water if required during emergencies.

If these few basic instructions are followed and maintained, then both pets and plants can survive in a household.