Protecting your pets from toxic household plants

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - As the Christmas holiday closes in, some of us may decorate our homes with nice plants. However, if you have pets, these can be harmful.

There are many plants that could be potentially dangerous to our furry friends including poinsettias, mistletoe, holly and more.

We talked with Cape Small Animal Clinic’s Dr. Loni Patke about why it’s important to make sure you keep your pets away from these plants.

“Christmas time, Easter time, those are a lot of times we see plant ingestions,” Patke said. “The leaves, the flowers, any type of the plant can be toxic to them. Typically, they start drooling quite a bit but we may event have to hospitalize them.”

Patke said understanding the potential dangers could help you and your forever pals have a better holiday experience.

“Your cats are going to get into a lot of those,” Patke said. “Dogs, puppies, especially during the holidays, you’re bringing new pets in the household, you never know what they’re going to get into. So, keep all of that safe from them.”

Patke said if your pet accidentally does ingest a portion of one of these plants to call your local veterinarian.

For more information about what types of plants may be poisonous to your pet, you can find that list here.

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