Why do cats eat plants, and should I be worried? | Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, DABT, Board-Certified Veterinary Specailist
I’m really passionate about educating pet owners about the dangers of houseplants to pets. That’s because my own sister’s cat (that I gave her) died of acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to getting into dangerous Asiatic lilies from a bouquet several years ago. While I want you to know what plants to be wary of, I’ll admit that I have at least 10 houseplants in my house! You just need to know which are potentially dangerous to cats, as some are very safe. In fact, the majority of...
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Marijuana poisoning in dogs | Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC, DABT, Board-Certified Veterinary Specialist
As a board-certified emergency critical care veterinary specialist and toxicologist, I see a lot of marijuana poisoning in dogs. More and more pets are getting into marijuana due to the legalization of medicinal marijuana, resulting in accidental ingestion in dogs. You can hear more at my radio show on Pet Life Radio ER VET. Well, according to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the only non-profit Animal Poison Control Center in the world, there was a 765% increase in calls about pet...
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What to do if your cat eats something poisonous | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-certified Veterinary Specialist
If your cat just ate something poisonous, unfortunately there is nothing you can safely do at home! While we can safely induce vomiting in dogs when they eat something poisonous, there is nothing you can do for cats at home. (For dog owners, check out this “How to induce vomiting in your dog” video here). While cats vomit all the time at home, getting them to vomit up poisons is actually difficult. Keep in mind that there is A LOT of misinformation on Google about how to inducing...
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5-FU topical chemotherapy poisoning in dogs | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT
My dog chewed my 5-FU. If this happened to you, get to your veterinarian or emergency veterinarian STAT, even if it’s in the middle of the night. That’s because this topical medication is deadly to dogs (and cats) when ingested. 5-Fluorouracil (abbreviated 5-FU), commonly known by the brand names Efudex®, Carac®, Adrucil®, and Fluoroplex®, is a chemotherapy medication used for humans with skin cancer like superficial basal cell cancer or actinic keratosis. It is commonly sold in...
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Sudden blindness in dogs | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-certified Veterinary Specialist
My dog can’t see. My dog suddenly went blind. If this happened to you, it’s one of the most devastating, saddest things ever. I occasionally will see in the the veterinary ER, and most pet owners are devastated to hear the words “Your dog is blind.” If your dog all of a sudden went blind or lost his vision, it could be a disease called “Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome” (often abbreviated SARDS). This is an acute problem in the retina (the back...
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Purina donation helps US military veterans adopt dogs | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-certified Veterinary Specialist
A huge shout out Purina for donating $25,000 to help U.S. military veterans adopt shelter-to-service dogs through its Pets and Vets Program. According to their website, “Pets for Vets was created to improve the lives of both Veterans and animals by bringing them together in a thoughtful, caring way. Our goal is to give back to the brave servicemen and women who have given everything to our country, while finding homes for deserving shelter pets. By matching the right pet with the right...
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