ASPCA highlights seasonal toxin risks for pets year-round

ASPCA Poison Control has published an evergreen Seasonal Toxins resource that organizes pet safety guidance by season and holiday, pulling together risks tied to winter weather, holiday foods and decorations, spring parasites and plants, summer heat, and fall hazards such as mushrooms and rodenticides. The page links out to season-specific guidance including cold weather, holiday, Valentine’s Day, springtime, flea and tick, summer heat, Halloween, and Thanksgiving safety tips. Recent ASPCA and ASPCApro materials add more detail on what tends to surge at different times of year, including chocolate, yeast dough, grapes and raisins, mushrooms, antifreeze, rodenticides, salt dough ornaments, and snow globes containing ethylene glycol. (aspca.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the value is less about a single new warning and more about seasonally timed client education and triage readiness. AAHA recently highlighted that predictable spring exposures tied to holidays, landscaping, and outdoor activity can help every team member, from CSR to DVM, recognize toxicoses earlier and counsel pet parents before exposures happen. ASPCA’s newly released top-toxin data also underscores the scale of the problem: the service reported calls involving more than 376,000 exposed items in 2025. (aaha.org)

What to watch: Expect more clinics and poison-control groups to keep packaging seasonal toxin prevention into client handouts, social posts, and callback protocols timed to holidays and weather shifts. (aaha.org)