GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Whether it's plants around your home or some you pass by on a walk, you'll want to watch what your pet comes in contact with.
BluePearl Veterinary Partners senior emergency doctor Rebecca Lein Burke tells FOX 17 what plants are poisonous to pets, to avoid an accident that could end up fatal.
“The biggest thing we see dogs coming in for is marijuana," said Lein. "The smoke is not usually toxic to them. They’re either eating the plant material or if people have what we call marijuana butter from having a medical marijuana license for it, they [dogs] like the butter and they'll eat the whole butter or the treat or the food product that’s made from the marijuana.”
Lien said if a dog consumes too much marijuana, it can be dangerous, sometimes fatal.
"They can [sometimes] get some fluids and go home or sometimes they need a few days in the hospital based on how much [marijuana] they got," said Lien.
Lien said pet owners should make sure to keep cats away from lilies.
“Lilies are pretty serious, they can be fatal because they damage the kidneys," said Lien. "This is a common toxicity. We just had one [cat] in the hospital that just went home, that’s luckily doing great but did require multiple days in the hospital to recover.”
She said exposure to any part of the lily flower can cause problems for pets whether it's the leaves, pollen or flower part.
“If I see my pet get into a plant, that would be the first thing I would do is call ASPCA," said Lien.
Lien said American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) will give pet owners information based on what the plant is and how much was consumed by pet, and whether or not to seek medical attention.
“There are a lot of plants out there, and good the news is the majority of our plants are not toxic or have minor toxic effects," said Lien.
Click here to view a list of plants poisonous to pets from ASPCA. People can also contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
