How to protect your pet from seasonal threats at home and on vacation

Molasses, a 4-year-old beagle mix, bounded onto a kitchen chair, snatched a 5-pound bag of trail mix from the kitchen table and wolfed down the whole salty, sweet treat in a matter of minutes.

It was a moment of glory he immediately regretted.

When Mary Ann Beggy got out of the shower in her one-bedroom apartment in Queen Village, she noticed the empty bag. She scooped up Molasses and rushed him to the closest veterinary hospital, knowing the raisins in the mix are highly toxic to dogs.

“He’s a little bit mischievous and tends to get into things,” she said. “He has a track record.”

Household dangers to pets are present year-round, but spring and summer bring additional challenges. Indoor and outdoor plants, lawn care products, favorite summertime snacks, and vacation outings can all pose health threats. And many pet owners may be unaware of the risks right under their snouts — er, noses.

Many plants, flowers, weeds, and bulbs can make animals sick, but a few are especially dangerous.

Lilies are so toxic to cats that ingesting even a small amount of the plant, its pollen, or the water cut flowers have been in can cause severe kidney damage. Lilies are toxic to dogs, too, but they’re far less likely to try snacking on them.

Lily of the valley, a common landscaping plant, can cause heart problems including changes in heart rate and rhythm, even with a small exposure to any part of the plant.

Sago palm, used in landscaping and as a household plant, is toxic to all pets and can cause symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, liver failure, and death. All parts of this plant are poisonous, but the seeds or “nuts” contain the largest amount of toxins.

Always read the labels, follow directions, and note the warnings on lawn-care product containers. Many dogs love to dig, and they may be attracted to the scent of fertilizers, compost and mulches that are toxic.

For instance, dogs may be particularly drawn to the odor of cocoa bean mulch, but if consumed it can cause theobromine (the active toxic ingredient in chocolate) toxicity, which causes rapid heart rates, tremors, and seizures. Ingesting a large amount may be fatal.

Fertilizers can irritate the stomach and cause significant vomiting if eaten. Some organic fertilizers, including bone, blood, and fish meal, may contain ingredients that cause joint and muscle soreness, stiffness, and stomach upset.

Insecticides used to keep bugs away from gardens can cause drooling, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in your pets. Keep pets off lawns for 24 hours after using fertilizer or pesticides. If they walk through a recently treated lawn, they will likely lick their paws, so it’s safest to wipe their paws as soon as you get home.

Be extra cautious if your dog likes to eat grass.

Slug, snail, mole, and gopher baits, as well as rat poisons, are toxic and can cause bleeding, severe neurological issues such as seizures, and kidney failure.

“We often see these situations where pet owners may be renting and don’t know the rat poison is out or the type of poison,” said Debbie Mandell, specialist in emergency and critical care and head of emergency service at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

A beach jaunt can be a joy for a dog, but eating dead fish, crabs, or shells can cut their mouths or paws, and cause an upset stomach. Ingesting too much salt water or swallowing sand can also make them sick.

“Sometimes you don’t even realize how much they’re drinking, but that can cause salt toxicity which is extremely dangerous to the neurologic system,” Mandell said.

If your dog ate sand, watch for signs of gastrointestinal distress, like vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

Fleas and ticks thrive at the beach, so keep up with your pet’s preventive medications.

Chocolate, raisins, and grapes make great hiking and picnic snacks, but they are highly dangerous to pets.

How sick a dog gets from consuming chocolate depends on the size of the dog, how much they ate, and the type of chocolate.

“The darker the chocolate, the more caffeine and theobromine, which are much more toxic than milk chocolate,” said Daniel Goldner, veterinarian and co-owner of Queen Village Animal Hospital.

Similarly, pets often respond differently to grapes and raisins, Goldner said.

“Some dogs eat a bunch of grapes and they’re fine and some dogs eat three grapes and wind up in the ER,” he said.

Each potential toxin may bring different symptoms but the most common outward symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling.

“In more severe cases, lethargy, depression, and seizures can suggest your pet may have ingested something poisonous,” said Tina Wismer, senior director, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

If you suspect your pet may have ingested something potentially poisonous, contact your vet immediately or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661. Also know where the closest emergency veterinary center is in your community in case of an off-hour emergency.

Your regular veterinarian may have medications in stock that can induce vomiting and help you avoid an expensive trip to the ER. But don’t guess; get professional guidance.

For example, there are toxins where inducing vomiting could cause even more harm. And it can be very difficult to get cats to vomit when you need them to.

Educate yourself and your household on harmful substances that should be kept away from your pets.

Molasses, or Mo as Beggy calls him, made it to the vet in time. Doctors gave him intravenous fluids and monitored him for kidney damage over the next couple of hours, then sent him home.

He’s back to playing with Beggy’s other beagle mix, Honey.

And Beggy is keeping a closer eye on what her pups have access to. She discovered she had a houseplant that is poisonous to dogs and quickly moved it out of reach.

“There’s no predicting what an animal is going to do,” Beggy said.