St. Patrick’s Day Pet Safety Tips

Mar 15, 2022 | Tips and Tricks

This is a re-post:  Check out how adorable Jake And Maggie are in their St. Patrick’s Day attire!  
 
Happy Wednesday everyone!  Can you believe St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow!  I love this holiday because it is a happy one and since we adopted Jake and Maggie, we have celebrated it more.  But celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can be toxic to dogs and cats so we are always careful.  Here are some St. Patrick’s Day Pet Safety Tips to think about when having a party.

Two little fashionistas in their bows and ties from Walmart.

St. Patrick's Day Pet Safety tips | www.twoadorablelabs.com

Believe it or not, this traditional food is hazardous to pets. Why? The yeast in the raw dough ferments in the stomach and produces alcohol. When absorbed by the bloodstream, it’s toxic. Additionally, when the dough reaches the stomach, it expands due to the warm and moist environment leading to a bloated and distended stomach.

Whether you make your own bread or buy a pre-made loaf, you must keep it away from your pets. This bread also often contains raisins and currants, both of which are toxic. Ingestion can cause severe kidney damage and even kidney failure. 
St. Patrick's Day Pet Safety tips | www.twoadorablelabs.com
Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage are synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day. For people who overdo it, the worst consequence is usually a stomachache from overeating. But for our pets, the results are more dangerous. These foods are high in fat and salt, and high-fat foods can cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting,diarrhea, and even acute pancreatitis. 

If you think your pet has eaten corned beef and are showing these signs, a trip to the vet is needed:
 
Excessive Thirst
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Upset Stomach
St. Patrick's Day Pet Safety tips | www.twoadorablelabs.com
Beer

Many people love a cold (and maybe even green) beer on St. Patrick’s Day, but alcohol is not meant for pets. The tiniest amount can be toxic because their livers can’t handle it. Drooling, vomiting or retching, diarrhea, weakness, incoordination, and trouble breathing are signs of alcohol ingestion. But just because you have pets doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beer. 
 
Is Alcohol Worse for Pets Than Beer or Wine?

Light beers are the least dangerous since their alcohol content is less, followed by craft beers, wine, hard liquors, and finally, grain alcohols like Everclear.

Although wine does have grapes in it, which can be extremely dangerous to dogs, there’s no research showing that wine is more dangerous to dogs than other types of alcohol.

Beware of Mixed Drinks or Alcohol-Based Food

Although an animal won’t be likely to take more than one sip of a glass of wine or a scotch on the rocks, certain mixed drinks or alcohol-based cakes could be sweet enough or have ingredients that appeal to animals.

And sometimes these other ingredients (chocolate, grapes, raisins or macadamia nuts, for example) are dangerous in and of themselves.

You should also be on the lookout for hidden sources of alcohol, like certain flavorings, including vanilla and almond, and for spices that might contain essential oils, like cinnamon. 

And since ethanol is what’s truly dangerous to animals, also be on the lookout for pets getting into cleaning products, mouthwash or hand sanitizer, some of which have ethanol in them.

Signs of Alcohol Toxicity in Dogs and Cats

Increased thirst
Increased urination
Lethargy
Disorientation
 

In severe cases, you may see:

Muscle tremors
Paralysis
Extremely slow and shallow breathing
Seizures
Loss of consciousness
St. Patrick's Day Pet Safety tips | www.twoadorablelabs.com
Shamrocks
 
The Oxalis species or shamrock plant is also known as: Good Luck Plant, Sorrel, Purple Shamrock and Love Plant. Consuming large amounts of this plant can cause kidney damage. 
 
If consumed, a shamrock plant (Oxalis regnellii), also known as wood sorrel, can poison your cat, dog, or horse. Not to be confused with clover, the harmless weed that sprawls across lawns, shamrock plants are typically grown indoors or in gardens. While the bitter leaves are enough to deter most animals, some pets may still try to eat them.
 
What Makes Shamrock Plants Toxic To Cats, Dogs, and Horses?

The leaves of the shamrock plant contain soluble oxalate salts. Soluble oxalate salts bind with calcium in the body, preventing the pet from absorbing it. This leads to a drop in calcium in the blood. 

If eaten over a long period of time, the soluble oxalate salts in shamrock plants bind with calcium to form kidney stones. When eaten in large amounts in a short period of time, shamrock plants can cause acute kidney failure.
 
Symptoms of Oxalis poisoning are: 
 
Drooling
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Lethargy
Head shaking
Decreased appetite
Tremors
Changes in urination and water consumption
Bloody urine
 
In severe cases:
 
Low blood calcium
Kidney failure
 
Luckily, shamrocks have a bitter taste that many dogs and cats don’t like. But don’t take any chances! Place it well out of your pet’s reach or in a protective container like a decorative birdcage or glass case. Better yet, go for an artificial version (though it’s still important to make sure your pet can’t reach it so they don’t ingest foreign material). 
 
St. Patrick's Day Pet Safety tips | www.twoadorablelabs.com

I love hearing from all of you and do my best to respond to each and every one of you.  I always enjoy your comments, feedback, and suggestions so keep them coming!  If I’ve posted a recipe (for our human and our furry friends) and you try it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @twoadorablelabs and use #twoadorablelabs​.

If you do try and love my recipes, I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating.  I read every single one and respond to them.  It also lets Google know that the website contains quality content.  The more comments and 5-star ratings, the more Google will show my blog in search results!  Thank you so much! 

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2 Comments

  1. Carla D Evans

    Thanks for the info! And love Jake and Maggie’s St. Patrick’s Day attire ????????

    Reply
    • Bobbi

      You are welcome! Aren’t they the cutest! They love getting dressed up. This post taught me things I didn’t know!

      Reply

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