Protect your pet from harmful plants
Many indoor plants have products that adversely affect animals when ingested or inhaled.
Did you know that most houseplants are dangerous or toxic to pets? “Many indoor plants have products that adversely affect animals when ingested or inhaled. Some of these house plants include tulips, lilies, roses and aloe vera. The products found on the leaves, stems or the body of these plants cause side effects such as drooling, and toxicity of the kidneys and liver. The other problem lies with the high fragrant plants such as roses which can give an environmental allergy to your pets. The commonest signs of an allergy will be sneezing, coughing tearing, or itching.”
However, all is not lost for a plant parent. There are a few houseplants that are safe for pets. “The safest plant, and which we encourage our clients to keep, is the lemongrass because it is helpful for your pet’s digestive system. The other advantage is that lemongrass is high in fibre. If your pet is struggling with obstructions, lemongrass will be a quick home remedy. Fibre would help with the bowel movements,” Dr Elavula explains.
For pet owners who still desire to grow their home gardens, Dr Elavula, says that the best option would be to train their pets on how to behave around the plants in the home. “If you must have plants in your home, you must train your pet to keep away from them. The area with the plants should be well-secluded such that your pet cannot go in. Alternatively, you can discipline your pet to know that they shouldn’t go near the plants. However, this can be difficult when your pet is very young or an explorer.”
Dr Elavula says that sometimes a pet will go after the planted house plants when they have a nutritional deficiency. “You will notice that your pet will want to chew on things; the wood, carpets, and even your plants. Part of the long-term therapy will be to give your pets the proper nutritional supplements recommended by your vet. You also need to ensure that they are getting the proper balanced diet.”
Treatment
Dr Elavula tells Lifestyle that he often treats dogs that have allergic reactions to some house plants. He says, “Luckily their owners respond swiftly and we get to clear the toxic effects of the plants and the pet survives.”
The first step in treatment, Dr Elavula says, is identifying the house plant that has been ingested by the pet. “The quickest remedy will be to induce vomiting. However, with some toxic plants, we don’t induce vomiting hence the need to know which plant was ingested. The next step is to prevent further absorption of the toxins in the pet’s body through medication. There are also some intravenous drips that act as a detox to the bloodstream clearing out the toxins from the system. We are also able to administer medicines that will protect the organs from being damaged,” he says adding, “We cannot induce vomiting for ingested plants that have acidic effects, that would cause mouth soreness or cause a chemical reaction in the form of a burn. If you induce vomiting in such a case, they could erode the oesophagus and the stomach causing more lesions.”
Gardening is a beautiful hobby that is not only fulfilling but also very therapeutic. However, Dr Elavula notes, “If your pet reacts to a certain plant, the best decision because you have committed to their lives for the next 15 to 20 years, would be to eliminate the plants so that they don’t pose a threat to your pet’s health.”