Lovesick: Valentine’s Day Dangers for Your
From chocolate and rose petals to jewelry ”, Valentines Day can be hazardous to your pet. Our and data scientists here at Trupanion found nearly 24,000 cases of a pet needing medical attention after eating something they shouldn’t have around Valentine’s Day.
“Pets are curious, and they will investigate new things that come into their environments with their mouths. Add to that the fact that many Valentine’s Day gifts are designed to smell or taste good, and you have a recipe for peak curiosity that pet need to watch out for.” said General Manager and , Dr. Stephen Rose, BVSc (Hons1) M Infotech CVA ACVCHM
Washington and Massachusetts the highest number of Valentine’s Day claims. Since 2019, California has had 2,705 claims; Washington has had 2,245 claims and Massachusetts has had 1,285 claims around Valentine’s Day.
A Darker Side to Chocolate
It’s not good for them but pets love chocolate, especially dogs. Since 2019, Trupanion has had 1,740 claims for chocolate toxicity-related claims around Valentines Day.
Chocolate is hazardous to pets because it contains theobromine and caffeine, both stimulants that can increase heart rate to dangerous levels and act as diuretics, potentially leading to fatal consequences. These substances dehydrate the body, placing stress on the kidneys and disrupting the balance of sodium and potassium in the bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications.
On average Trupanion paid $727 for chocolate-related claims, with the highest claim being $9,376.
Dogs are far more likely than cats to be treated for chocolate toxicity. Our data scientists found that dogs were 2% more likely to have a claim than cats.
The toxicity risk for chocolate depends on the size of the pet and the amount of chocolate that was ingested, as well as the type of chocolate eaten. The darker the chocolate, the more theobromine and caffeine it contains, so lighter chocolates, like milk chocolate, pose a slightly lower risk to pets. However, all types of chocolate can be harmful to pets and should be kept out of their reach.
Symptoms of Chocolate Toxicity:
Jewelry is by far the biggest Valentine’s Day health concern our see. Trupanion has received more than 21,000 claims for jewelry-related health issues around Valentine’s Day since 2019.
When a pet ingests a piece of jewelry the condition the vet will usually be treating them for is called “foreign body ingestion” or FBI for short. This is when a pet eats a foreign object and they can't pass it through their gastrointestinal system, so it becomes lodged somewhere along their GI Tract and causes a variety of symptoms from vomiting and diarrhea to obstruction, organ damage, and even death.
Early signs and symptoms of foreign body ingestion:
“Foreign body ingestions need to be taken seriously and if any of these symptoms are observed, I recommend that someone’s pet is seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible,” says Dr. Rose.
On average, Trupanion paid jewelry-related claims, with the highest being $20,957. Our veterinarians also found that dogs are 12% more likely to have a jewelry-related claim than cats.
Rose petals themselves aren’t dangerous to pets but their thorns are dangerous and so are the chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides that may be on them.
“Thorns can cause damage to a pet's mouth, stomach and gastrointestinal system, while pesticides and other chemicals can lead to poisoning,” said Dr. Rose.
Signs and Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning:
California and Florida had the most rose petal-related claims around Valentine’s Day. On average, Trupanion paid $265 for rose petal-related claims, with the highest being $7,668.
seen 711 rose petal claims around Valentine’s Day since 2019. Our veterinarians found that dogs arerelated claim.
Keeping Pets Safe This Valentine’s Day
The good news about Valentine’s e.
“My best advice is the Keep items out of reach for pets,” says. “Close bedroom and bathroom doors, empty your garbage bins, clean things up and move everything out of reach once gifts are opened. Most importantly, talk to your veterinarian if you think your pet has eaten something they shouldn’t have and get them to the vet as soon as possible. It’s better to be proactive than wait and risk greater harm.”
The data presented in this report is part of Trupanion’s truInsights initiative. truInsights is a data focused initiative introduced by Trupanion and designed to deliver valuable health-related data and insights to pet parents, veterinarians and pet lovers alike. With over 20 years of pet health data, Trupanion has explored its veterinary invoice data from more than two million pets and provides details on data trends, as well as prevention tips for keeping our pets safe.
Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Puerto Rico and Australia with over 1,000,000 pets currently enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. Policies are sold and administered in Canada by Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. dba Trupanion 309-1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2 and in the United States by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. is a registered damage insurance agency and claims adjuster in Quebec #603927. Trupanion Australia is a partnership between Trupanion and Hollard Insurance Company. For more information, please visit trupanion.com.
For this study Trupanion looked at chocolate, rose petal and jewelry-related claims made by Trupanion members in the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day going back to 2019. Percentages were adjusted to account for an increase in the number of Trupanion insured pets.