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Seasonal hazards: what this month can do

Many pet emergencies are seasonal: antifreeze belongs to the first frost, lilies to Easter week, heatstroke to July car parks and mushrooms to a wet October. These four checklists cover 32 dangers - where each one actually hides, what the early signs look like, and the moment to stop reading and call the clinic. Read the season you are in now, before you need it.

How to use these pages. They are reading checklists, not veterinary advice - no doses, no treatment steps. If something on them may have already happened to your pet, call your vet or a poison line first. In the US: ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661.
Winter 8 hazards Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) · Road salt and ice melt · Rodent baits · Holiday chocolate and xylitol… Spring 8 hazards Lilies - the cat emergency · Easter chocolate, raisins and sweets · Spring bulbs · Fertilisers, compost and cocoa mulch… Summer 8 hazards Heatstroke · Hot pavement · Blue-green algae · The barbecue… Autumn 8 hazards Acorns and oak leaves · Conkers (horse chestnuts and buckeyes) · Fallen and fermenting fruit · Wild mushrooms…

When something has already gone wrong, you want the first-aid cards - the five minutes before the vet. For the everyday question of what is and is not safe to eat, the toxic and safe foods table and the can my pet eat it checker cover the food side year-round.

Gear from the four checklists

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