March is Poison Prevention Month and Yes, that Fiddle Leaf is Poisonous

Hello Animal Lovers!

The Ruffugees Foundation here, and we wanted to let you know that March is Poison Prevention Month! This is a great time to remind yourself of best practices or learn something new about preventing pet poisoning.

There are lots of everyday items that can make your pet sick, but did you know that plants are a very common one? Poinsettias, Lillies and Azaleas are poisonous, but there is one ever popular plant that is also toxic. It's that super-trendy Fiddle Leaf. Fiddle Leaf plants contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and when ingested create sick-city for your best friend with symptoms that include vomiting, mouth foaming, swollen gums/tongue and trouble breathing. Be sure to share that tidbit with your loved ones with pets so they can take precautions to make sure their pets do not ingest any leaves. Also, every time you go to purchase a new plant for yourself or someone else check out the ASPCA's list of toxic plants here.

Food is next up on our list of items that can poison your pet. While we love to feed our best friends we should be careful when giving them anything that we would eat. We all know how chocolate, grapes and alcohol are poisonous for pets, but did you know nuts are bad, too? Nuts are high in fat and can lead to pancreatitis. To learn more about the very dangerous diagnosis of pancreatitis check out our other blog post here.

Finally, if your pet is in pain bring them to the doctor to obtain anti-inflammatory or pain medication. Do not give your pet acetaminophen products as acetaminophen is poisonous to pets.

If you have questions about poison prevention or toxic items please contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 and remember as a rule of thumb, if your pet is vomiting or having diarrhea take them to a vet as soon as possible.

Let us know if you have any tips for keeping your pets safe from toxic items in your home.

Thanks for reading about Poison Prevention Month and for your support of The Ruffugees Foundation. If you would like to make a donation to The Ruffugees Foundation you can do so using PayPal to ruffugees@gmail.com, donating by check to The Ruffugees Foundation, PO Box 3344, Norfolk, VA 23514 or you can start a Facebook Fundraiser for us! All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

See you on the wild side,

Ruffugees