Minoxidil : A Baldness Treatment

Minoxidil has become extremely popular due to its ability to stimulate hair regrowth on the scalp of people. It was originally marketed as Rogaine, but is now available as an over the counter generic in liquid, foam and shampoo forms.

When cats lick even a tiny amount, it causes vomiting, drooling, low blood pressure, severe illness and often death. Because the product is applied to the skin, it can easily come into contact with cats either directly, by licking the area, or even from pillows.

I first discovered this toxin one year ago after a report from the Animal Poison Control Center that you can read here. In their list of the top causes of poisoning deaths in cats, it included a drug I had never heard of.

If I didn’t know about it, it meant many other vets didn’t either, and very few cat owners.

The message is simple: if you use minoxidil in any form, be extremely careful:

• Clean up areas carefully after use, especially spills or stray drops
• Do not allow your cat to come into contact with treated areas of skin
• Prevent access to bedrooms 
• Clean sheets and pillowcases frequently

PPD: A Hair Dye Ingredient

Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is a fixative found in many hair dyes and henna temporary tattoos. It causes a deeper, longer lasting and more intense colour. Oral ingestion leads to intravascular hemolysis, rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria and acute renal failure. 

In other words, this means massive destruction of red blood cells and muscle cells. The release of their contents into the circulation causes downstream kidney damage. This is the same process you sometimes hear about with overexercise in hot conditions. 

I only heard about this toxin last week, but I saw a case a year ago that I’m now convinced was caused by it. 

Mimi’s Acute Renal Injury

Mimi’s owners came to me for a second opinion after he was diagnosed with acute kidney failure. The interesting thing is that despite an extensive search for the toxin, it was never found. However, due to the timing, Mimi‘s owners strongly suspected that a hair dye had caused it.

At the time, I conducted a search to the best of my abilities and found no link between dyes and poisoning. The case remained a mystery. Mimi survived only thanks to heroic efforts by his owners and a number of veterinary teams.

Knowledge of the toxicity of PPD is well known in human medical circles, but no documented cases of poisoning exist in animals. It’s likely that the lack of evidence is due to a lack of recognition, not occurrence. Like in Mimi’s case, it’s near impossible to prove a particular toxin causes kidney failure due to the delay between poisoning and diagnosis.

Once again, prevention is about minimising exposure:

• Use hair dyes and hennas without PPD if possible
• Use dyes and hennas in a well-ventilated place where your cat cannot join you
• After completion, clean up any spills and splashes carefully
• Rinse basins, baths and showers thoroughly since cats often like to lick these areas after use
• Don’t allow your cat to lick the dyed areas

Diclofenac (Voltaren)

A third common cause of cat poisoning deaths is the human use of potent anti-inflammatories. Once again, the risk is mainly from products applied to the skin. Products like Voltaren gel contain diclofenac, which even in small quantities will cause kidney failure.

Cats are likely to be poisoned either by licking the treated areas, or getting spilt product on their paws or coat. In addition to the methods above, prevention should also include covering the treated areas with clothing and keeping the products in a secure place.

The Common Link

All three of these toxins show us how susceptible cats are to household poisoning. This is for three reasons:

1. Cats are naturally inquisitive and will seek out and investigate new things
2. Cat seem inherently sensitive to a wide range of chemicals
3. Anything that contacts the outside of a cat will invariably be licked off and swallowed

The third point means we should add a final form of prevention: if anything not known to be safe gets on your cat’s coat or paws, you will need to give them a bath. This is not a decision taken lightly, but it may be life-saving.

Moreover, I would be careful about any medicines, dyes or other household chemicals, regardless of whether they contain diclofenac, minoxidil or PPD*. If we are learning one thing, it’s that cats will show us just how toxic a chemical can be.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Sources

Anuradha, S., Arora, S., Mehrotra, S., Arora, A., & Kar, P. (2004). Acute renal failure following para‐phenylenediamine (PPD) poisoning: a case report and review. Renal failure, 26(3), 329-332

Tater, K. C., Gwaltney-Brant, S., & Wismer, T. (2021). Topical Minoxidil Exposures and Toxicoses in Dogs and Cats: 211 Cases (2001–2019). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 57(5), 225-231

* Just look at the ingredient list for a non-PPD containing hair dye for example: how many of these do you think have been tested in cats? Cetearyl Alcohol, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ethanolamine, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Fragrance, 2-Methylresorcinol, Resorcinol, Serine, Sodium Sulfite, Oleic Acid, Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, m-Aminophenol, Carbomer, Linalool, Potassium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Ascorbic Acid, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Sulfate, Hexyl Salicylate, 2-Amino-3-Hydroxypyridine, Hydrogen Peroxide, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Phosphoric Acid, Behentrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Polyquaternium-37, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Panthenol, Isopropyl Myristate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Methylparaben, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Lauryl Glucoside, Trideceth-5, Salicylic Acid.

The Maffra District Knackery has now admitted that they processed horses from the Northern Territory.

Now read on to see why it was always the most likely explanation…

An outbreak of liver failure in Victorian dogs has been linked to raw meat from a local supplier. At least 14 dogs died and a further 30 were hospitalised.

I’ve been following the story carefully. The more we know the stranger it gets.

Why The Dogs Died

We now know that the dogs died after being poisoned by indospicine, a toxic amino acid found in many plants of the Indigofera genus. The suspicion that it came from their food is strong enough to make the following statement: fresh or frozen raw pet meat sourced from Gippsland between 31 May and 3 July should not be fed to dogs.

This includes products sold across more than 30 stores described as beef and kangaroo pet meat.

Whether cooked or raw, meat containing indospicine is very toxic to dogs. Once you see where it comes from, you might share my concerns about all raw pet meat. You might also wonder if cats are at risk, given that they don’t get the same level of attention*.

Where Indospicine Comes From

There are six plants^† known to contain high levels of indospicine, but only one of significance to us: Indigofera linnaei or Birdsville Indigo. The map at the start shows it to be widely distributed across the northern half of Australia.

So how did it get into Victorian dogs?

The answer is that it accumulates in the meat of animals which graze on it. Birdsville Indigo is a tough drought-tolerant plant with a deep taproot, able to exploit seasonal rainfall before anything else does. As a result, it’s often the only decent food available for livestock.

Deaths in Australian dogs have been previously documented from the eating of camel meat¹ and horse meat². In both cases these animals were presumably grazing in the areas on the map. In fact, we’ve known since at least 1952 that the plant is the cause of Birdsville Horse Disease³.

Which I hope begs the obvious question: if we already knew about it, how did it happen?

The Raw Pet Meat Business

Meat is expensive, and only getting more so. Up against that is an increasing demand from dog owners for raw meat at affordable prices. The result is an unstable balancing act where the pressure is always on to find a workaround.

In this case, that workaround was probably meat brought in from the Northern Territory. Not that I’m not blaming the NT at all: they actually have some pretty tough regulations designed to prevent just this sort of thing.

Here are three examples from their laws:

• A person shall not sell pet meat unless it is dyed blue in the prescribed manner
• A person shall not slaughter a horse, donkey, mule or hinny for pet food if he or she knows, or has reason to suspect, it has been in an area in which Birdsville Horse Disease occurs
• A person shall not sell meat for human consumption, pet meat or bait meat with intent to deceive the buyer as to the true identity of the meat

So What Exactly Happened?

I think there is only one sensible answer: the meat came from horses transported from the NT into another state prior to slaughter. Here’s why:

1. Illegal slaughter is very unlikely in Australia anywhere
2. Camels could be slaughtered legally for pets in NT but the meat would be dyed blue
3. Cattle (beef) are improbable as they haven’t been associated with indospicine poisoning
4. Horses, donkeys etc would have come from areas in which Birdsville Horse Disease occurs and therefore be illegal to slaughter in the NT
5. Of the likely species, horses are the easiest to transport to another jurisdiction
6. Outside of the NT, meat sellers don’t always need to tell us what species the meat actually comes from

If I’m right, this is all legal, just very unethical.

Name That Species, Please

I’ve written about meat substitution before, and the only thing preventing me taking it further is the prohibitive cost of species-of-origin DNA testing. Even if the meat that killed these dogs was actually beef, it still must have come from areas where such meat should not be fed to dogs.

And in fact, as vets we should be looking harder at any cases of unexplained liver disease in dogs. We should be asking about access to pet meats in the same way we’re asking about grain-free diets in heart disease.

One thing for sure is that there’s still a lot more of this saga to come out. Whether that happens or not is another story.

In the meantime, I hope this makes us think twice about cheap ‘pet meat’. And if you ever see meat actually marked as horse or camel, you should only buy it if the seller can guarantee it’s not contaminated with indospicine. How they can, I’m not sure.

Related: Should I add meat to my dog’s kibble, anyway?

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

* Try putting “canine” and “feline” into Google Scholar and look at the number of results. You’ll see a 3:1 bias in favour of dogs.

† Those 6 plants:

• Indigofera hendecaphylla
• Indigofera linnaei
• Indigofera lespedezioides
• Indigofera spicata
• Indigofera vicioides
• Indigofera volkensii

They are all low shrubs found in livestock grazing lands from Africa, through Asia and the Pacific Islands, to North, Central and South America. It makes you wonder if it’s also happening to less ‘affluent’ dogs elsewhere. Just look at how long it took us to notice a new exotic disease even in Australia when it was happening far away from the capital cities.

References

1. FitzGerald, L. M., Fletcher, M. T., Paul, A. E. H., Mansfield, C. S., & O’Hara, A. J. (2011). Hepatotoxicosis in dogs consuming a diet of camel meat contaminated with indospicine. Australian veterinary journal, 89(3), 95-100
2. Hegarty, M. P., Kelly, W. R., McEwan, D., William, O. J., & Cameron, R. (1988). Hepatotoxicity to dogs of horse meat contaminated with indospicine. Australian Veterinary Journal, 65(11), 337-340
3. Hegarty, M. P., & Pound, A. W. (1968). Indospicine, a new hepatotoxic amino-acid from Indigofera spicata. Nature, 217(5126), 354-355
4. Tan, E. T., Ng, J. C., Al Jassim, R., D’Arcy, B. R., Netzel, G., & Fletcher, M. T. (2020). Emerging food safety risk of hepatotoxic indospicine in feral Australian camel meat. Food Control, 113, 107205

This is absolute rubbish and internet myth-making at its worst. Why is everyone so afraid of almonds? Because they only read each others’ blogs instead of trusting evidence or experience.

It’s always safer to say ‘no’ than ‘yes’, isn’t it! Here I’ll go through each of those ‘seven ways’ and demonstrate their lack of accuracy.

And what do you know, they actually missed a real problem too.

Are Almonds Safe For Dogs?

Almonds consumed in small amounts appear as safe for dogs as humans.

There is no evidence that sweet almonds sold for human consumption are dangerous to dogs. There appear to be no published papers of danger to dogs, nor any anecdotal reports from vets despite extensive experience.

The (Supposed) Dangers Of Almonds

So, you are thinking, what are those 7 dangers? I’ll demolish each in turn then give you that eighth.

1. Choking hazard. There is no doubt that a human would be at higher risk than a dog. The horizontal position of a dog’s airway makes choking much less common, and besides, dog biscuits are often the same size. Just please don’t throw almonds for a dog to catch, just like you wouldn’t throw kibble.
2. Gastrointestinal upsets. This is as true for almonds as it is for eating anything out of the ordinary. There is nothing special about almonds over, say, a chicken breast. Small amounts should be OK for most dogs.
3. Fluid retention. Sure, if a dog eats a whole packet of salted almonds, you’d better call a vet, but just a few? No problem. There’s much more risk from salt in many other common foodstuffs.
4. Pancreatitis. There’s a kernel (hehehe) of truth here in that dogs prone to pancreatitis should not be fed oily or fatty foods. But this is a small percent of dogs, and you’ll run into much more danger from everyday dog treats you buy at the pet store. If your dog vomits or goes off their food frequently, get a checkup with your vet.
5. Bladder & kidney stones. Nuts are not especially risky, and you’d need to eat a lot even if it could happen (for which there’s no evidence of course). Dogs prone to bladder stones are fed special prescription diets as all regular foods increase the risk.
6. Allergies. This list of allergy foods is the best evidence we have, and almonds were not identified. All foods can potentally cause an allergy but unless we feed our dogs nothing we have to take a risk somewhere.
7. Aflatoxins. These are mould toxins, and if your dog is being poisoned, then so are you! Of course the risk is very low with correct storage.

A real danger occurs with bitter almonds. These are closely related to sweet almonds but contain significant amounts of cyanide. They are mostly only sold for special uses such as herbal remedies. I also suspect that some old almond trees are of the bitter variety but I understand they’re fairly unpleasant to taste.

How Many Almonds Can A Dog Eat?

I’m certainly not advocating that you start feeding almonds to your dog. However, if you are eating almonds and you drop a few, your dog can eat them as safely as many other foods. Just don’t make a habit of it. If they keep doing it they will get a sore tummy, and probably sooner than you.

Which Nuts Are Toxic To Dogs?

Of the commonly available nuts, only macadamias are known to be bad for dogs. They are associated with tremors or shaking, but rarely anything worse due to the amount required to be eaten.

I have never identified a case of macadamia poisoning and consider it one of the rarest poisonings of dogs.

Other nuts will have their own issues. Pistachios contain excess salt, many others are coated in toxic chocolate, and you can read about the safety of walnuts here.

So let’s all relax a bit. Heaven knows, there’s enough to worry about as it is.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

This debate is but a taste of what appears online. But who is correct?

Like with all internet myths, there’s a grain of truth in there. Let’s find it!

Are Walnuts Safe For Dogs?

Walnuts are safe to feed to dogs, as long as you keep five things in mind:

1. Walnuts in shell can be dangerous especially for small dogs. In a dog’s rush to eat them, they may swallow the shell leading to intestinal obstructions.
2. Walnuts fallen from the tree are extremely dangerous due to a black mould that causes tremors and seizures. These are almost indistinguishable from snail bait poisoning.
3. Black Walnuts are toxic. This is a rare tree in Australia as the nuts are not edible for humans either.
4. Dogs prone to pancreatitis can get sick from any oily or fatty food, such as nuts. If your dog vomits frequently or goes off their food without good reason, see your vet for a blood test.
5. Too much of any unusual food can upset a dog’s gastrointestinal tract. This can lead to vomiting or diarrhoea, but should resolve within 24 hours.

These considerations should also apply to pecans.

Help! My Dog Ate A Walnut

So you drop a walnut kernel and your dog gets to it before you do. What do you do? Answer: not worry too much.

I still would not make a point of feeding walnuts for the reasons listed above. Giving walnut oil is definitely not advised in the same way as any fats or oils. But even if you do deliberately give the odd walnut, you’re unlikely to do harm.

Which Nuts Are Toxic To Dogs?

Of the commonly available nuts, only macadamias are known to be bad for dogs. They are associated with tremors or shaking, but rarely anything worse due to the amount required to be eaten. Therefore, macadamia poisoning is rarely seen by vets.

Other nuts will have their own issues. Pistachios contain excess salt, many others are coated in toxic chocolate, and you can read about the safety of almonds here.

The main threat is to those dogs that have a walnut tree in their yard. These trees are best either fenced or stripped before the nuts mature, just to be sure. If that’s out of the question, then at least keep the grass short underneath the tree and pick up fallen nuts every day.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

From a dog-owner perspective, it contains two important lists: the top 5 reported poisonings and the top 20 fatalities. As you will see, these are quite different.

The Top 5 Poisons Of Dogs

1. Chocolate
2. Ibuprofen (Nurofen®, Advil® etc)
3. Sucrose-containing foods
4. Nitrogen-based fertilizers
5. Acetaminophen (paracetamol)

These are good to know, and easy to prevent. Though it’s hard to see the problem with sucrose.

The Top 20 Most Fatal Dog Poisons

The APCC have also listed their known fatalities in order of the percent of reported dogs that died. I’ve linked each poison to its relevant Wikipedia page if you want to read more. See my comments afterwards.

Key Findings

This list helps us understand which toxins are of greatest importance. You can see that one category stands out: medications

Nine are common human treatments, whether prescribed or not. Dogs gain access when they are left around carelessly or dropped in their presence. The ones marked with an asterisk (*) are also used in dogs.

The rest are all caused by access to common household poisons. With the exception of just two:

• blue-green algae come from stagnant water sources
• phenylbutazone is an outdated anti-inflammatory used mostly in horses

If this new evidence tells us anything, it’s that most poisonings occur by accident, not design. And that dogs will have a go at things you’d never expect them to eat.

I’ve certainly learnt a lot. Mainly to be a lot more careful about what I leave out.

Related: Poisonings In Adelaide Pets | Vitamin D

Swirski, A. L., Pearl, D. L., Berke, O., & O’Sullivan, T. L. (2020). Companion animal exposures to potentially poisonous substances reported to a national poison control center in the United States in 2005 through 2014. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 257(5), 517-530

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

From a cat-owner’s perspective, it contain two important lists: the top 5 reported poisonings and the top 20 fatalities. As you’ll see, these are quite different.

The Top 5 Poisons Of Cats

1. Lilies, typically as cut flowers in vases
2. Spot-on permethrin flea treatments made for dogs
3. Glow sticks or jewellery (ie, dibutyl phthalate)
4. Ibuprofen (Nurofen®, Advil® etc)
5. Dracaena plants (Lucky Bamboo most commonly)

These are good to know, and easy to prevent.

Serious as they are, only Dracaena appears in the next list. You’ll see it’s mentioned as well in my guide to safe plants for a cat garden.

The Top 20 Most Fatal Cat Poisons

The APCC have also listed their known fatalities in order of the percent of reported cats that died. I’ve linked each poison to its relevant Wikipedia page if you want to read more. See my comments afterwards.

Key Findings

This list helps us understand which are the toxins of greatest importance. It even highlights two that haven’t been on our radar before. These are:

• Bifenthrin: used in Australia as a long-acting residual chemical to control outdoor pests. Cats are probably being poisoned when it gets on their bodies and they lick it off.
• Minoxidil: a liquid medicine for human male-pattern hair loss sold as Regaine®. Read more about minoxidil plus Voltaren and hair dyes here– two more very serious potential poisons.

The others are less surprising, and mostly self-explanatory. But we haven’t finished yet…

Problems With The List

The APCC works by taking reports directly from the public. Therefore, while it gives us a unique insight directly into US homes, it is also badly affected by misreporting and misattribution.

All the drugs marked with an asterisk (*) are commonly used medications of cats. In every case it’s almost impossible that they have the fatality rates described. Some of them are being used in sick or dying cats, leading owners to blame them, not the underlying disease. Others are just so commonly used that many cats will die while taking them.

Similarly, borax is a poison generally considered to be of low toxicity. I too get many enquiries about it (Ant Rid®), but it seems mostly harmless to pets.

Therefore, here is a revised list of cat toxins, in order of toxicity.

The Top 10 USA Cat Poisons

In closing, let me say that I wrestled with whether to publish this list in light of the recent spate of baitings in Adelaide parks. However, if you look at the sorts of toxicities these are, they aren’t deliberate. They’re caused by accidental access to household poisons.

Only by knowing them can we prevent them effectively.

Swirski, A. L., Pearl, D. L., Berke, O., & O’Sullivan, T. L. (2020). Companion animal exposures to potentially poisonous substances reported to a national poison control center in the United States in 2005 through 2014. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 257(5), 517-530

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

• green pellets found in a Thebarton park
• meat with pellets at Shepherds Hill
• kidneys stuffed with bait on the Torrens linear park
• and yesterday suspicious mince found in Bennett Reserve on North East Road (pictured)

Leaving aside the twisted motives of why anyone would do this, it’s important to understand the risks and what you can do if it happens.

How Common Is Dog Baiting?

Although stories of baiting are frequent in the news and on social media, actual poisonings are rare. That’s probably because most dog owners notice the baits quickly. It’s also true that despite the reputation of dogs, they rarely eat unknown food without taking a good sniff first.

Therefore, if an owner is watching, the risk is low. In my 26-year career, I’ve never seen a dog show symptoms from deliberate poisoning. Yes, I too have seen attempts to poison dogs, but never with success.

What Does Dog Bait Look Like?

For a bait to be effective, it has to be both highly poisonous and tasty. There aren’t many substances that tick both these boxes. Common examples are:

• Snail bait, which looks like green or blue pellets.
• Rat bait, which can be pellets, or larger square or cylindrical blocks with a central hole. Once again, it is strongly coloured to stand out.
• 1080 is an uncoloured meaty cube the size and consistency of Turkish delight

1080 or fluoroacetate is the classic ‘fox bait’. It’s extremely rare in urban areas due to tight controls on who can use it, but is often laid on sheep farms and in national parks.

Ground glass in meat is still feared, but this is probably a myth. Sharp, small objects actually travel quite well through the intestines. If this seems strange, think how hard it is to cut loose material . Gut is the same.

How To Tell If Your Dog Has Been Baited

Snail baits are neurotoxins. The first symptoms of ingestion are behavioural changes like anxiousness, restlessness and panting. This may progress to muscle twitches and tremors, and eventually to seizures. Vomiting and diarrhoea can also occur.

Rat baits like Rat Sak are anticoagulants. Therefore, symptoms are the result of internal bleeding. Look for:

• pale gums
• lethargy
• rapid breathing
• unexplained blood from any orifices (not always seen)

1080 is a neurotoxin that causes a rapid onset of seizures. Affected dogs often start out showing anxiety, tremors, crying and frantic running.

How Long Does Dog Bait Take To Work?

The neurotoxins start working as soon as they are absorbed. This could be as little as 20 minutes after ingestion.

Anticoagulants take three days to start causing bleeding.

Treatment Of Baiting

Dogs who have ingested snail bait almost always survive if the dog is not left alone. Straight after ingestion, a quick trip to the vet to induce vomiting will normally completely resolve the problem.

If you miss the opportunity, and symptoms appear, your dog should still survive. Mild cases can be controlled with anti seizure medication. Your vet will induce anaesthesia in more severe cases, and maintain it until the poison has passed through the system.

The same applies for 1080. However, the combination of the speed of onset of seizures and the remoteness of most poisonings means that these dogs rarely survive.

Rat bait is also best vomited up shortly after ingestion, but if you miss the chance, there is a safe and effective antidote. Read more about the treatment of rodenticide poisonings here.

Prevention Of Dog Baiting

• Don’t let your dog off leash in public areas where visibility is poor.
• If your dog is seen to eat anything you don’t trust, take them straight to a vet.
• In areas where baits are laid, dogs must wear a fine basket muzzle at all times when outside.
• Train your dog to bring you any food they find for a ‘treat exchange’.

There’s no need to live in fear, but these simple steps can reduce the risk substantially.

As a final thought, this recent spike in baitings looks a lot like copycat behaviour. It reminds me of the needles in strawberries or people lighting bushfires. Therefore, we possibly shouldn’t be giving them too much attention for what they do.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

Note: do not leave comments if your dog has just taken a bait. Instead, see a vet immediately.

The first, assuming you plan on using them, is choosing plants that are safe for cats. I cover that later with an Australian perspective. The second is designing the space from a cat point of view.

What Makes A Good Cat Garden?

Here’s what cats generally like when outdoors. The more of these we can provide, the more useful (and used) the space will be.

• Hiding places so cats can see but not be seen
• Basking places for when cats want to stretch out in the sun
• Dry dirt to roll in and condition the coat
• High places to watch passers by and birds
• Grass to nibble and reduce chewing of other plants
• Disorder for the jungle cat within

So with that in mind, now let’s select the right plants.

Safe & Non-Toxic Plants For Cats

As a general rule, the showier the plant, the more likely it is to be poisonous. But it’s also worth pointing out that any plant can be toxic if enough is eaten. The items marked with an asterisk (*) have no data but widespread usage suggests that they are safe.

Grasses and Strap-Leafed Plants

To me, these are the most important. Cats love to hang out under the drooping leaves of low, strappy plants. Plantings probably need to be close together to create tunnels or thickets.

• Clumping grasses, especially Lomandra*
• Cordyline australis & rubra (others less known)
• Kangaroo Paw*
• Sedges (Carex species)*
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Notable mention must also go to Dietes (no information is available but I have several) and Dutch or Wood Irises, in which my previous cat made tunnels. Despite being theoretically toxic, the risk seems very low. Bamboo is also good as a screening plant.

Exotic Shrubs

• Catnip, Cat mint & Cat thyme (worth a try to see if your cat likes them)
• Diosma (Coleonema pulchrum)*
• Ferns & Palms (most are fine but avoid Bracken & Cycads)
• Pittosporum tobira (‘Miss Muffet’ is my favourite)
• Plumbago auriculata (will need trimming)
• Rosemary (may attract bees)
• Star Jasmine (more of a climber but great on fences)

Camellias are also great but very tricky to grow well in our Mediterranean climate.

Native Shrubs

Aussie shrubs are great for cats as they’re often a bit more open and straggly. They’re great for owners too as they’re tough. Many of these are theoretically poisonous due to the irritant oils they contain but in practice cats find them too unpleasant to nibble.

• Callistemon (bottle brush)
• Correa*
• Lilly pilly (Syzygiums come in a wide variety of sizes so don’t get a tree by mistake)*
• Westringia fruticosa (‘Native rosemary’)*

I hope these lists give you enough to go on. I haven’t mentioned trees, but with the notable exceptions of oleander and white cedar, poisonings are even rarer. Succulents are also generally safe with the exception of aloe, but they probably aren’t very cat friendly!

Toxic Plants For Cats

Cats like to nibble on green leaves, so many plants can be dangerous, especially for indoor cats who lack a wider choice. Be particularly careful of Dracaena such as Lucky Bamboo and all lilies. Neither should ever be present around cats. Anything showy and ornamental should be treated with suspicion.

Additionally, all plants toxic to dogs will poison cats too. Therefore, read a longer list of the plants that aren’t recommended at our similar page on safe & toxic plants for dogs.

As always, I’d appreciate your comments and questions.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Below you can find lists of plants I either know to be safe or I see used so much that toxicity is extremely unlikely.

Designing A Garden For Dogs

Before starting, it’s worth a quick list of what makes a good space for dogs.

• Areas to run and play (typically grass as paving can hurt the pads in summer)
• Shady areas
• Areas with loose dirt where digging is allowed
• Permanent water (but not ponds due to the risk of blue green algae)
• People

The focus of this article is on choosing the plants that go between grass and trees. These are great for creating hiding places, complexity and areas to snuffle and explore.

Note: any plant can be toxic if enough is consumed. You will reduce the risk further by offering edible grass to chew on. The items marked with an asterisk (*) have no data but widespread usage suggests that they are safe.

Grasses and Strap-Leafed Plants

Low strap-leaved plants are great to pee on or snuffle around in.

• Bamboo (though it tends to try and take over the garden)
• Clumping grasses* (esp Lomandra)
• Cordyline australis & rubra (others less known)
• Kangaroo Paw*
• Sedges (Carex species)*
• Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Watch out for Dracaena which looks very similar to Flax or Cordyline.

Exotic Shrubs

• Camellias
• Diosma (Coleonema pulchrum)*
• Ferns & Palms (avoid cycads, bracken or sharp-tipped palms)
• Pittosporum tobira (‘Miss Muffet’ is a nice compact form)
• Plumbago auriculata (dogs love exploring in these when they get straggly)
• Rosemary (may attract bees and make your dog smell like a lamb roast)
• Star Jasmine (more of a climber but great on fences)

Native Shrubs

Many Aussie shrubs are theoretically poisonous due to the irritant oils they contain but in practice dogs find them too unpleasant to nibble.

• Callistemon (bottle brush)
• Correa*
• Lilly pilly (Syzygium comes in a wide variety of sizes so don’t get a tree by mistake)*
• Tea tree (Leptospermum)
• Westringia fruticosa (‘Native rosemary’)*

My favourites here are Lilly pilly, Westringia and Correa, as you can tell by the garden at Walkerville Vet! Your final plant list will depend on your climate and the space available.

Succulents are also generally safe with the exception of aloe. However, be careful with any spiny or sharp edges, especially in dogs with short faces like Pugs and Bulldogs where the eye could be damaged.

Plants To Avoid With Dogs

It’s worth a quick list of the plants I don’t recommend, especially with puppies who tend to chew everything. You’ll notice that these are generally the more ornamental species. Asterisks (*) mark the extremely toxic plants.

• Azalea & Rhododendron
• Agapanthus & Clivea
• Box (English, Korean, Japanese)
• Brunfelsia* (yesterday, today, tomorrow)
• Bulbs
• Dracaena*
• Lilies (very toxic to cats)
• Grapevine*
• Ivy* (read about that here)
• Euphorbias eg Poinsettia 
• Fig (except the edible fig)
• Flowering quince
• Gardenia
• Geranium
• Hellebore
• Hydrangea
• Nandina or Sacred bamboo
• Oleander*
• Periwinkle*
• Philodendron
• Privet
• Strelizia
• Umbrella plant
• Wisteria 
• Yucca

How Common Are Plant Poisonings Anyway?

Some years ago I cataloged all the dog and cat poisonings seen at Walkerville Vet; you can find it here. If you visit you’ll see that despite toxic plants being common in Australian gardens, actual poisonings are rare.

Instead, here were the top five threats from the garden:

1. Rat poisons
2. Mushrooms
3. Pesticides
4. Fertiliser
5. Compost

Compared to plants, it’s actually quite easy to prevent dogs getting to these, and well worth the effort. Add in a well-designed dog friendly garden and you can hardly go wrong.

Except of course, by thinking that a garden is enough on its own. As any dog would love to tell you, it’s never a substitute for a good outing with the family.

Related: Designing a cat friendly garden | Causes of sudden death in dogs

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

When a dog suddenly falls over or cannot use their back legs, it is usually an emergency. You should travel to a vet.

On the way, take a video if you can. Here are some things to look for:

1. Is there muscle movement? This is common in seizures or poisonings.
2. Is the dog unconscious? Look for a lack of response and passing urine or faeces.
3. Are the eyes moving? Vestibular disease causes nystagmus or eye flicking.
4. Is the heart rhythm normal? Place your hand on the chest and try to feel it.
5. How long does it last? Fainting and airway issues usually only last for seconds.
6. Is recovery quick? After seizures, dogs commonly appear incoordinated for some time.
7. What was the dog doing beforehand? Cardiac, respiratory and thermal problems are more common after exercise.

Cardiac arrest is an extremely uncommon cause, and therefore it is not recommended to try CPR. You will see that most causes either recover by themselves or require treatment that only a vet can give.

Now let’s dive deeper into each of these causes…

Cardiac Causes Of Collapse

Collapse would make people immediately think of the heart, and they’d mostly be right. Any heart disease can cause collapse due to fainting or syncope, which is essentially ‘blacking out’ from a lack of oxygen in the brain.

Cardiac collapse most often occurs after excitement or exercise, and might only last a few seconds each time. In our clinic, the following heart diseases are more likely to cause collapse:

• rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias such as heart block, Boxer cardiomyopathy)
• late stage mitral insufficiency
• pericardial effusion

Many causes are treatable. Read more about these in our page on heart diseases.

Shock & Bleeding

The most common cause of acute shock is bee sting in dogs.

Low blood volume or anaemia can cause collapse that looks just like cardiac disease. The best clue is very pale, almost white gums. Perhaps the one we see most is rat bait poisoning, which causes internal bleeding. Two autoimmune diseases which have similar signs are platelet deficiency and haemolytic anaemia.

Another common cause of sudden collapse due to internal bleeding is a tumour of the spleen called haemangioma or haemangiosarcoma. It is seen mostly in older large breed dogs. Spleen removal can be curative but an ultrasound exam is best done first to look for tumour spread.

Rapid fluid shifts in the body cause shock, of which by far the most common cause is any severe and sudden gastroenteritis. In these, body fluids go from the blood vessels into the gut faster than they can be replaced and the circulation collapses. The treatment is of course prompt restoration of the fluids via a drip.

Respiratory Causes Of Collapse

Any problems of the airways or lungs can cause collapse due to hypoxia. Here are some of the ones we see more often.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome or BOAS occurs in dogs with short faces, like Bulldogs and Pugs. When there’s a need to breathe quickly, the soft palate that lies over the larynx in some dogs will block enough airflow to cause collapse. This can be complicated by a narrow trachea (windpipe) and small nasal openings.

If a brachycephalic breed has noisy breathing even when at rest, or gets tired easily, they almost always benefit from airway surgery. Acting proactively can save a life.

Collapsing trachea is a common cause of a honking or harsh dry cough in older small breeds. When they get hot or excited, the airflow through the flattened windpipe sometimes can’t keep up with demand and the dog might collapse for a few seconds. Treatment involves various medication combinations, weight loss, avoiding excitement, and surgery as a last resort.

Laryngeal paralysis is a similar problem mainly seen from middle age in medium and large breeds. Instead of a cough, they have harsh, raspy breathing that gets louder with exercise or temperature. Collapse most commonly occurs in warm conditions, but can be prevented by timely surgery.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rarer disease of the lungs secondary to many problems, such as heartworm, birth defects in the heart and a specific disease of West Highland White terriers. It can also happen when blood clots are formed associated with immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia, protein-losing diseases and Cushing’s disease.

Neurological Causes Of Collapse

Any poison that affects the nervous system can cause a dog to collapse. In Australia, the most common are:

• any recreational drugs
• chocolate
• macadamias
• 1080 and strychnine
• xylitol
• some mushrooms

Three neurotoxins found in Australian animals also deserve special mention: tick paralysis, cane toads, and snake bite, which often causes immediate collapse followed by a short-lived recovery. Other toxins are ethyl glycol in engine coolant, bromethalin in rat baits outside Australia, insecticides and herbicides.

What about deliberate dog baiting? It’s rare, but does happen. Read more at the link.

Any injury or trauma to the brain or spinal cord can cause collapse. The best example of this is intervertebral disc disease, which is especially common in dogs like Dachshunds.

Seizures can also be a cause of collapse. Usually they’re easy to identify by paddling leg movements, jaw champing and salivation, but sometimes these aren’t obvious. That’s especially true for partial seizures where the dog remains conscious throughout.

A portosystemic shunt is an abnormal blood vessel that sends unprocessed blood from the gut directly to the brain, bypassing the liver. It can cause collapse especially not long after a meal. A shunt would be high on the list in a young adult of a susceptible breed such as the Maltese.

Low blood sugar also causes neurological signs. Collapse in a diabetic dog is most often due to a high insulin dose suppressing blood glucose levels, but we also see it with insulinoma, Addison’s disease and very young puppies not getting adequate nutrition.

The last item on the nervous system list is vestibular disease. This refers to any disorder that affects the balance organs in the inner ear and brain. These dogs have a head tilt, fast flicking in the eyes, and usually can’t stand up. The most common is Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome, but you can read all the common causes of vestibular disease here.

Musculoskeletal Causes

As a young vet, I didn’t believe it when I first saw simple arthritis cause a dog to collapse. Why would a long-term disease known for slow worsening lead to sudden collapse? Now I understand that these dogs have been putting up with pain until they couldn’t any longer.

We see this mainly in larger breeds, and especially German Shepherds. Often they will be howling or crying and brought in on a stretcher. Good intravenous drugs (especially cortisone) can do wonders to get them up again but they really need long-term pain control to keep them going.

Of course, we should view these dogs as our own failure. To do it right would be to identify and treat their pain before it gets too much.

Exercise-Induced Collapse

Let’s finish up with two unusual conditions. Hyperthermia or heat stroke won’t often cause outright collapse, but it can cause an unsteady gait and vacant expression. The clue is that it should happen after prolonged exercise or excitement especially in warm weather.

We see heat stroke most in dogs obsessed by ball-chasing, or overly excitable dogs, but there may also be a genetic influence in some breeds such as Spaniels. For many dogs, the solution is to realise that dogs don’t know when to stop and that you need to regulate their exercise and keep them calm.

Exercise induced collapse is a genetic fault found in Labradors, Border Collies and others. It causes muscle weakness, incoordination and life-threatening collapse after intense exercise. The genetic mutation in Labradors is now understood and screening by many breeders should reduce the incidence.

This list is by no means complete but all the common reasons for collapse should be found here. Diagnosis will require your vet using the history you give them, taking a physical exam and choosing the right tests to confirm their suspicion. Good luck.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.