No bunny business: Keeping pets safe this Easter

To prepare for Easter, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, senior veterinary toxicologist and director of veterinary medicine for Pet Poison Helpline, shared with listeners what veterinary teams should be warning clients about. From the dangers of lilies on cats to the xylitol-filled holiday treats, Schmid breaks it all down in this interview with dvm360 to help keep pets healthy, happy, and out of the emergency room this Easter sunday.

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity:

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT: Right now, getting into Easter we really can never stress enough the importance of knowing about Easter lilies. Easter lilies are in the Lilium species, which is a concern for kidney failure in cats. We just see a GI upset in dogs, but in cats, we can see certainly fatal consequences. And so as those families are bringing Easter lilies home into their household, it's really important that those pet parents are educated that all parts of that plant are toxic. Any animal, any cat that's chewing on the leaves, the stems, the petals, even the pollen in those Easter lilies, are going to be toxic. And if untreated, we can see life-ending kidney failure in these patients, and if the pet parent does notice that the animal is chewing on or having any type of exposure to that Easter Lily [it's] really important to make sure that they're treated and addressed right away.

There is a campaign noliliesforkitties.com that veterinary professionals and pet parents can go to and they can find different pictures to help recognize what a what a concerning Lily looks like, but also finding different flower alternatives. And because as soon as we end here with Easter and Easter lilies, Mother's Day is right around the corner and so when everyone's sending flowers to their mothers or their loved ones as something to remember that if there's a cat in that household, to make sure that those Lilium species, type of lilies, are not in the bouquets.

So certainly, depending on what they have at the table for Easter. So onions and garlic are definitely a toxic concern for both dogs and cats. Any baked product that contains Xylitol is going to be a concern. Alcohol, if the animal were to get into any, any alcoholic drink, that can be problematic as well. And so I always kind of use the phrase of toddler-proofing your home. You'll make sure you're pet-proofing your home in that same manner. So if there was a toddler in the household, you hopefully wouldn't leave that drink sitting out on the on the end table or the coffee table. Same thing for for those pets in the household. So make sure all those things are up and out of the way.