Keep potpourri away from dogs

[snopes]

Comment: Date: Monday, December 15, 2008, 9:46 AM


PLEASE CROSSPOST!

CKCS CLUB OF NORTHERN ARIZONA

Please read this, a big danger for dogs and kids.

Karen is doing something to try to stop the sale of this, also the
USA needs to be strict on what is imported from India and China and
we need to be very cautious.

We have suffered a terrible, terrible tragedy last Wed. December 3rd
2008 !!

Two, beloved Cavaliers of mine, Haley and Zoe both ate potpourri from
a decorative basket in my living room . Within hours, they were
vomiting it, convulsing and going into total body rigidity and shock.
We took them to the after hours clinic, they had no idea what it
could be and wouldn't listen to me about them vomiting potpourri at
home and how I had such concerns about the toxic effects of it. They
treated symptoms. We transferred them to our day vet. He also
wouldn't listen to me about the potpourri theory. He said they
had "strychnine" poisoning symptoms. I kept telling him that the
potpourri was Made In India, sold by a company in California and sold
at my local WalMart. My heart told me that it was the culprit of
their condition. They declined rapidly throughout the day and we
transferred them back to the after hours clinic for a second night.
At midnight, I made the agonizing decision to put them to sleep.
Haley was in constant seizures that wouldn't stop, fluid was filling
up in her lungs, body temp was dropping on both of them, Zoe was
lying almost lifeless on the table, struggling with every breath she
took. Every muscle was completely rigid, you couldn't even move her.
I have devoted the last couple of days (now that I can get out of bed
and function) to researching my concerns with the potpourri and have
since found out I was right....... .....there is a lab in England that
has case studies on toxic potpourri from India!! The
toxin....strychnine , which in it's commercial source, comes from a
certain tree grown in India. I am completely heart broken over this.
Please be aware of the potential toxins in any and all stuff like
this in our homes. I would've never guessed this could happen but
when I saw them both "playing" in the potpourri and then after about
two hours saw the symptoms of a poisoning, I just put two and two
together. Hug your babies, Love them and always take lots of photos
along the way...it helps later on, trust me.

Karen Cantner, Heartland Kennels, Evansville, Indiana USA

[One-Fang]

Well, at least the vets who "treated only symptoms" were actually treating for the right thing - strychnine poisoning. Why care if it came from potpourri or something else? If the mutt's got strychnine poisoning, treat for that, regardless of the origin.

I don't use potpourri, but I can't actually imagine my dog eating it. It's wood and dried flowers and stuff. That's not exactly "mmm, alpha dog food!"

[KKHB]

Originally Posted by One-Fang

Well, at least the vets who "treated only symptoms" were actually treating for the right thing - strychnine poisoning. Why care if it came from potpourri or something else? If the mutt's got strychnine poisoning, treat for that, regardless of the origin.

Yes, and it sounds like the outcome would have been the same even knowing where the strychnine came from. Had the vet "listened" to the potpourri theory, they might have dismissed some of the symptoms and not worried too much since it was "just dried flowers". I could see it being diagnosed as a simple belly ache or allergic reaction. I would be commending the vet for finding strychnine poisoning in the face of an owner repeating "potpourri ingestion".

I don't use potpourri, but I can't actually imagine my dog eating it. It's wood and dried flowers and stuff. That's not exactly "mmm, alpha dog food!"

I have a dog that will literally eat anything (but he is trained enough to not bother food left sitting on the coffee table, or candy dishes etc. and these days only eats food he is offered). I have had to make him "drop it" for such delicacies as notebook paper, aluminum foil and pine cones. But even he would not consider eating (chemically treated) potpourri. I have had it set out at various times and at doggie-level (he's big so that is anywhere up to 4 feet off the floor) and he has never shown any interest in it at all.

I haven't had potpourri out for a while now, and likely won't, but it seems like good common sense to keep it out of the reach of pets especially if they show signs of wanting to "play" with it or eat it, whether it has been treated with strychnine or not.