toxic

The FDA has issued a warning that Easter lilies are toxic to cats. According to veterinarian Dr. Melanie McLean at the US Food and Drug Administration ingestion of even a small portion of the leaves, pollen or flowers of the plant are very poisonous to cats. Initial complications include vomiting but then may lead to kidney failure and death if not treated. If you think your cat may have ingested a lily, then seek immediate medical attention for your pet.

Tiger, Asiatic, Day and Japanese Show lilies are also highly toxic to cats.

Dog owners take comfort, lilies are not a major threat to dogs other than some risk for developing an upset stomach.

Source:
CBS News

dr. dolittle Fri, 04/18/2014 - 21:56

Tags

This is a very fascinating piece, do the cats receive an actual reaction from the pollen or the flower petal itself?

The reaction is from any part of the plant including the pollen, leaves and petals.

Does Easter lilies affect all type of cats, or only cats adapted to a specific environment? when did the FDA discover this?I am also interested in knowing what is FDA?

FDA= Food and Drug Administration

The warning was for all house/domestic cats. They did not specify whether some breeds may be more of less susceptible. It would be interesting to know if other felines were similarly affected by lilies.

Dr Dolittle, why would this pollen only have an effect on cats and not n dogs? any ideas?

According to the FDA, dogs are not entirely immune, lilies just cause much milder symptoms like nausea/vomiting in dogs.

That is very shocking considering that many people have these Easter lilies in their gardens. It would be fascinating to know exactly what it is in the plant that causes this effect on cats. Why is it that it does not affect dogs but only cats? It's said that it might only upset the dog's stomach, might the size make the difference?

It is very important to care for our pets, especially cats who are very affectionate and cute. So we must be very careful with them so they do not go to eat something wrong and die.

Thanks for the heads-up. I hadn't heard of this before. I'd recently heard that grapes and onions are bad for dogs, which surprised me.

http://unfacts.freeforums.net/

I am quite interested in this topic, I was wondering what event led to the discovery that lilies are poisonous to cats? How was it determined that dogs are not affected that severely?

I would like to know what exactly does it do to the cats body? And if it was only discovered recently do they have a cure for it or will they just put the cats out of misery?
I would also like to know if its only poisonous when ingested or does any type of contact have drastic consequences?

I'm more into dogs being shocked that a beautiful flower could do such a thing,can u tell me about other things which can harm dogs and might be recogniced....I want to be with my healthy pet forever

This is an interesting piece, considering numerous of people would not consider the flowers in their homes and gardens to be toxic to their pets, in this case cat-owners. Vomiting is one of the reactions to this toxic plant but is there any other reactions that are more specific to this plant because there are numerous factors that can contribute to the cause of vomiting. Also, is there medication available for these reactions or is research being done for a cure?

It flatters me to see that there are people who still care for animals, much appreciated Dr. Dolittle. Just to add on the above mentioned, I also heard that cats can be sensetive to catmint (nepeta cataria), glory Lillies (gloriose superba) and ferns (lysichiton) which are commonly found in many gardens in homes in S.A. Cats are also not fans of root vegetables such as onions and galic, so if you have a mini vegetable garden in your back yard just make sure that your cats plays far from it.

I believe that there are more plants that can be hazardous to not only our cats but our bestfriends (pets) in general, so I think it is wise that we as pet owners be a bit more cautious of the environment we put our pets in. Let us protects these loyal friends of ours, because if we do not who will?

Quite an eye opener to find out what you think is an innocent flower could be a potential killer for your pet. Good to be aware of these dangers so we can protect our animals we get so attached to.

it is very interesting that a plant can harm a cat to such an extent. Is there anything that can be done if a cat does ingest the plant or is it fatal from the start?

wow, very intriguing. this provides an opportunity for scientists to actually develop an allegen which would prevent this whole reaction from taking place.

It would also be better to sell the medicine in the local pharmacies because this sounds so urgent and some people stay 3 to 4 hours away from a vet. An over the counter medicine for the little animals would really help

It is quite interesting. Would this Lillie also affect larger cats like lions and leopards or does it only affect smaller cats ? Would causes this reaction and how fatal is it ?

it is rather alarming that such a beautiful flower can be harmful to such a serene animal... it is quite baffling though how the information had not surfaced prior and also how the plants effect the felines and not dogs too...

Thank you for the warning Dr. Dolittle, as an animal lover – especially of cats – and owner, this is an extremely helpful blog post. After doing some further reading up on how this actually effects our furry friends, I think it is important to remember that important signs to look out for that could point to the fact that your kitty has digested some of this toxic plant includes: Drooling, loss of appetite, increased urination, dehydration and (as has been mentioned in this post) vomiting – in which you might be able to spot pieces of the plant.

This was a real eye opener for me and it is something that will help all cat owner in the world to help keep there pets healthy. My only consern is that the blogs say that dogs are not effected that much, does that mean that they are affected a little??

That is very interesting ,I think that a lot of cat owners are unaware of this very important fact. I would like to know is it poisonous to any other animal other than cats? If not , why especially cats ? I think this is something that should be spread urgently among cat owners by means of a warning ,on maybe cat food packages ,it will help to save a lot of cats and also owners' tears.

What kind of toxic chemcials would you be worried about from that jet crash in San Diego?

angrytoxicologist — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:26:05 +0000

What kind of toxic chemcials would you be worried about from that jet crash in San Diego?

You've probably heard that a F/A-18D jet crashed in San Diego on approach to Miramar, killing 3 on the ground (the pilot ejected and is fine). A lot of the news reports noted that ~20 homes were evacuated due to 'toxic chemicals'. What sort of chemicals would you be worried about?

First Responders and Bystanders

Beyond the physical hazards (things under pressure like hydraulics, O2 canisters,...etc), there's all kinds of stuff to worry about like fuel, oils, hydraulic fluids, beryllium, lithium, chromium, mercury, and possibly radioactive compounds. But the biggest hazard is simply the burning of Advanced Composite Materials (ACM). According to the military, aircraft can contain anywhere from about 175-33,000 lbs of ACM. Upon burning, a lot of these Advanced Composite Materials release lots of carbon monoxide (obviously), nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen cyanide. An air craft explosion could produce these chemicals above levels that would kill you in short order as long as the temp was above 300 deg F. The F-18 has a lot of Graphite-epoxy ACM which is probably better short term than if an Apache helicopter crashed due to the kevlar/graphite-epoxy used on that aircraft. So, in short, you're most worried about death from CO or cyanide poisoning. After that you'd worry about the more exotic stuff, but it's not likely that you'd be exposed to this junk after the crash so it's not as big of a concern.

Clean-up crew

The Clean-up crew would have to think about all the exotic chemicals abounding but would not have to worry so much about the CO/NO/SO/CN issues. They would, however, have to worry about all the respirable fibers that may be floating around due to the ACM. Particularly troubling are the boron-epoxies since they are able to penetrate protection to some degree. These fibers cause long-lasting harm if inhaled in sufficient amounts.

Bonus explainer: How do you respond to an aviation crash?

If we're talking about you the citizen, the answer is to stay inside, close all windows, doors or other air intakes and wait for instruction. If you're talking about the responders, they evacuate the area around the crash and smoke plume, and cool the crash site down while trying not to break apart the plane further with high pressure. They do not use aircraft (such as helicopters) around a crash because it disperses the chemicals downward and in an unpredictable manner. Once they've identified the immediate hazards (always using proper industrial hygiene, of course), they spray a fixicant like acrylic floor wax over the crash to keep fibers and chemicals where they are.

angrytoxicologist Tue, 12/09/2008 - 02:26

Tags

Acrylic floor wax? I always love finding out that people do super techincal stuff with something bought at home depot. It makes sense; it's just hilarious.

"...would kill you in short order as long as the temp was above 300 deg F."

Why is this? Because more of the potentially lethal compounds would be vaporized and therefore subject to inhalation?

Also, I never would have guessed carbon dioxide had the ability to kill people in an open space, or by simply wafting into their homes (in which case the home is by definition an open space of sorts). I've been conditioned by knowing only of CO fatalities that have either been intentional (in someone's garage) or incidental in a closed house (a leak the resident never knew about).

Above 300 deg is around what you'd have to be at to produce enough of the gasses to harm someone at the site itself. So you're right but it's both production than volitization.

As to the CO, you're right in the ways that people commonly die from it but even in those cases the levels don't have to be that high. 500 ppm can kill you and depending on what type of heat source it is, the CO levels will far exceed that (5,000 ppm will probably kill you pretty fast).

But it's really the combination with CN that's particularly leathal. This is because 1) CN is potent and 2) they both effect cellular respiration so the toxicity is synergistic, not just additive (CO by making oxygen unavailable to the cells, and CN by not allowing electron transfer to oxygen, thereby shutting down aerobic respiration).

thanks..good blog

hello thanks admÄ±n very good blog

Very Thanks

Thx.

thanks

So, in short, you're most worried about death from CO or cyanide poisoning. After that you'd worry about the more exotic stuff, but it's not likely that you'd be exposed to this junk after the crash so it's not as big of a concern.

Is it really that much toxication? Video Shqip

thnks youuuuuuu

I dont think that was so much toxication ! TV Shqip

Above 300 deg is around what you'd have to be at to produce enough of the gasses to harm someone at the site itself. So you're right but it's both production than volitization.

thank you for admin

Study: Air Fresherners not good for you. Gee, ya think?

angrytoxicologist — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:28:50 +0000

Study: Air Fresherners not good for you. Gee, ya think?

It must have been a slow news day over at MSN because they headlined a story that was pegged to a study published in 2005 (as far as I can tell). Anyway, the point of the article was that air fresheners aren't good for you. Hopefully this isn't a revelation for anyone (You mean that pumping out volatile chemicals into my closed room isn't good for me? Shocking!). Let's list a couple of the chemicals released from air fresheners (gel, liquid, spray, scented candles, incense)

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Health Effects From the EPA:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.

Various allergens, including terpenes like limonene (give a nice fresh/citrus scent)

Benzene (known human carcinogen - very small cancer risk at the levels for most air fresheners, but it will still attack your bone marrow)

Styrene (long term exposure leads to thinking problems and other effects on the central nervous system)

Diethyl Phthalate (unless you're using incense, you'd get a lot more from your cosmetics and personal car products)

Toluene (headaches, sleepiness, dexterity, memory, other narcotic effects, eye/nose watering)

Formaldehyde (damage to the nasal tissue, at increasing levels dizziness, altered breathing,...etc)

VOCs and benzene are over some countries' limits but most of the others are not. Read this review for a good overview of what we know - and don't - about air fresheners. Even for the chemicals under the health limits, it seems a bit silly to me to be paying to put these chemicals in your house.

Want your house to smell better? Open some windows. Clean. Then bake an apple pie. I'm serious.

PS The study they pegged it too doesn't have a whole lot to convince even though the conclusion is probably correct. They asked people who have asthma or other breathing difficulties if they had trouble breathing after being around an air freshener. That seems like a bucket load of bias there.

angrytoxicologist Mon, 09/10/2007 - 01:28

Tags

Consumer Tox

Air Fresheners

toxic

Thank you for posting this information, which is not new to us as you note, but seems to be to many. Just take a look at the air freshener section in your local discount store. Somebody must be paying good money to fill their home with carcinogens. Thankfully there was nothing more pressing in the news today!

In case anyone questions our concern, afterall, homes may smell "better" after using these. There are two primary ways in which air fresheners work. They either line your nasal passages with an oil - so you can't smell, or they release a nerve deadening agent - so you can't smell. Feel fresh!

Thanks for raising awareness!

Lynne Eldridge MD
Author, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer"
http://www.avoidcancernow.com

Mmm, apple pie...

great page thanks for sharing