Intoxication by Lilies

Over recent years lily poisoning have become one of the most common poisoning of cats in the UK.

Over the year it used to be permethrin flea products that cause most poisoning of Cats.
Acute renal failure has been known to arise in cats after eating or ingesting various members of the lilium genus since 1989 ( Brady & Janovitz,2000). In 2004 three Lilium species were documented to have produced toxicosis in cats.

The three species were:- Lilium longiflorum(Longi Lily), Lilium tigrium(Tiger Lily) and the Asiatic hybrids, however other lilies are listed by the National Animal Poison Control Centre in the USA.
These include:
Lilium longiflorum(Longi Lily)
Lilium tigrium(Tiger Lily)
Lilium speciosum rubrum( Rubrum Lily)
Lilium umbellatum
Lilium orientalis ( Oriential Lily)
Hemerocallis (Day Lilies)


Cats are very fussy eaters but they do have a tendency to ingest parts of the lily from leaves, flowers and most of all the pollen.
The kidney is the principle organ that is targeted by the toxin with the cat dying of acute renal failure 3-6 days after the exposure.
Clinical signs include depression, dehydration,increased urine, thirst, vomiting and anorexia.

Mortality from exposure is between 50 and 100% if treatment is not commenced before the onset of the clinical signs. Emergency treatment should be sought urgently, a vet should induce vomiting to empty the stomach and stop futher toxin being absorped, along with the adminstration of actived charcoal to bind the toxins in the gut. Major intravenous fluid therapy will futher help remove the toxins.

Cats coming into contact with the pollen should be shaved to remove the pollen from the coat hairs before they can groom themselves.

Advice for cat owners:-
Lilies are potenially leathal to cats if ingested.
All parts of lilies are thought to be toxic to cats.
The pollen bearing stamen should be removed from the flower, to stop cats contaminating their coats with the polllen and then ingesting during grooming.
Lilies should be placed where cats are NOT able to come into contact with them.
If cats have come into contact or eaten material from a lily emergency veterinary treatment should be sought immediately, if no treatment is sort 50-100% of cases prove fatal.
When transporting to the vets the cat should be prevented from grooming or the fur shaved to stop any further ingestion of the pollen.

source:- society of floristry, Glen Cousquer BSc(hons) BVM&S Cert Zoo Med MRCVS

As director of Flowertime Florist and http://www.wesendflowers.co.uk/ in my spare time I like to arrange fund raising events for the Round Table. Well soon I will be able to announce a brilliant event that will help Baby Marshall (Handstand Appeal) a little boy who lost both his hands and both legs through meningitis. The event will be something that everyone can get involded in. So watch this space!!!!!!!

Marshall story is below.

Marshall celebrated his first birthday on 22 December. On Boxing Day, Marshall was rushed into hospital following an attack of Meningococcal Meningitis. Meningitis is a brutal and unforgiving disease. While Marshall has escaped brain damage he has had to have both his hands and both his legs amputated. Marshall now faces a lifetime of rehabilitation while adapting to the use of prosthetic limbs. Because he is so young Marshall will continually require new prosthetic limbs as he grows. To put this in perspective, Marshall will require at least one pair of hands, at least once a year, every year until he is 16. A pair of hands costs £22K. A firm cost for his legs has yet to be established but it will be to a similar order of magnitude.

Marshall celebrated his first birthday on 22 December. He and his family enjoyed a lovely Christmas Day. “Marshall wore a little Santa Suit”, said his Mum, Stephanie, “He looked so sweet.” When Marshall woke up on Boxing Day morning, Stephanie noticed a tiny rash on his forehead. Worried that it was something serious, Stephanie and Moss, Marshall’s Dad, immediately bundled him into the car and drove to Treliske Hospital in Truro. At Hospital Marshall became more listless and was developing a rash all over his body. The medical staff immediately rushed him into intensive care. Doctors confirmed Stephanie and Moss’s worst fear - he had indeed suffered an attack of Meningitis. Doctors fought for over four hours to save Marshall’s life. His vital organs failed on two occasions. Said Dr Thys De Beer, Head of Intensive Care at Treliske Hospital, “Marshall is the sickest child I have ever seen. His survival is almost miraculous.” Marshall was transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital which has one of the UK’s leading specialist units in treating Meningitis in very young children. Marshall’s vital organs failed again and, once more, medical staff battled for hours to save him. Over the next few weeks tests confirmed that Marshall had escaped brain damage and that his sight and hearing had not been impaired, however, Doctors had to tell Stephanie and Moss that Marshall would have to lose his hands and legs, due to the terrible damage caused by the septicaemia which often accompanies Meningitis. Marshall’s hands and legs were amputated on 27 January. Said Stephanie, “We knew it had to be done, otherwise Marshall would not survive, but on the day of the operation Moss and I were just inconsolable. It seemed so unfair.” Marshall was allowed home in time for Easter. His Mum and Dad had maintained a vigil by his bedside throughout his ordeal. “We were so glad to be allowed to go home at last”, said Moss, “while the medical staff have been marvellous, being in hospital for three months had taken its toll.”

I along with the Round Tables of St Ives and Camborne will need all the help of the community to raise as much as we can for this little boy.

At the monment donations can be sent to

Flowertime Florist Ltd

17 Penpol Terrace

HAYLE

Cornwall

TR274Bq

please make cheques payable to St Ives Round Table 531