Seasonal dangers for both cats and dogs
Dear Doctor Abbie: My aunt loves to get me an Easter Lily every year. I don’t have the heart to tell her I can’t stand the way they smell. But now I have a bigger problem. We have a new cat, and he loves to eat plants. I used to have quite a collection of houseplants, but now I only have wheat grass in a little four-inch pot because I know it’s safe for him to floss with. My aunt is getting a bit old and doesn’t understand where all my nice plants went. I know she’s just dying to buy me a lily. What should I tell her? – Mr. Kitty’s keeper
Dear Mr. Kitty’s keeper: It’s heartwarming to think about your dear old aunt sharing her love of odiferous plants with you. If only this seasonal choice were not so deadly to Mr. Kitty.
Lilies are poisonous to cats, of that there is no doubt. According to an article in “NAVC Clinician’s Brief,” every part of the plant is poisonous. Lilies cause kidney failure. Cats will actively seek lilies out. Cats will initially vomit and appear to recover only to worsen later. The cats that survived were the ones who had prompt, intravenous fluid therapy. So, if Mr. Kitty does try to floss with your aunt’s gift please take him in to your vet right away.
As for your dear old aunt, I would graciously accept that lily from her; in fact tell her you can’t wait to get her lily this year and give her a big hug. One day she will not be here to give you a lily or a hug. Maybe you can donate the lily to a retirement home (one that does not have a cat!). I wish you many years of the perfume of lilies reminding you of your dear old aunt, and not of a trip to the vet. – Dr. Abbie
Dear Doctor Abbie: My friend works at an animal shelter, and there is a dog there that has heartworm. I give my dog her heartworm pills in the summer, but is there something more I can do to prevent my dog from getting heartworm?– Mrs. Peabody
Dear Mrs. Peabody: Yes, there is a better way to prevent heartworms. Heartworms are a blood parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. The monthly heartworm prevention is very effective, but many people don’t really understand how it works and why it needs to be given all year. Many owners are also often confused about why vets recommend an annual heartworm test if their dog is on preventive.
Heartworms are parasites, their lifecycle is complicated. I went to vet school in Florida – a sub tropical parasite paradise. I have seen dogs with a big pot belly, gasping for air because their hearts were literally filled with a figurative plateful of spaghetti. Heartworm infected dogs die from heart failure. The treatment to kill adult heartworms can be tricky also. Having live heartworms in the heart is one thing, but having a glob of dead ones is something else!
The only good news about heartworms is they are super easy to prevent. An annual blood test and monthly preventive. Because prevention needs to be given a month past the end of mosquito season, and less than a month after it starts, prevention twelve months a year is best. – Dr. Abbie
