Taken from another list…….

We have suffered a terrible, terrible tragedy last Wed. Two, beloved
Cavaliers of mine, Haley and Zoe both ate potpourri from a decorative basket
in my living room . Within hours, they were vomiting it, convulsing and
going into total body rigidity and shock. We took them to the after hours
clinic, they had no idea what it could be and wouldn't listen to me about
them vomiting potpourri at home and how I had such concerns about the toxic
effects of it. They treated symptoms. We transferred them to our day vet. He
also wouldn't listen to me about the potpourri theory. He said they had
"strychnine" poisoning symptoms. I kept telling him that the potpourri was
Made In India, sold by a company in California and sold at my local WalMart.
My heart told me that it was the culprit of their condition. They declined
rapidly throughout the day and we transferred them back to the after hours
clinic for a second night. At midnight, I made the agonizing decision to put
them to sleep. Haley was in constant seizures that wouldn't stop, fluid was
filling up in her lungs, body temp was dropping on both of them, Zoe was
lying almost lifeless on the table, struggling with every breath she took.
Every muscle was completely rigid, you couldn't even move her. I have
devoted the last couple of days (now that I can get out of bed and function)
 to researching my concerns with the potpourri and have since found out I
was right…………there is a lab in England that has case studies on
toxic potpourri from India!!  The toxin….strychnine, which in it's
commercial source, comes from a certain tree grown in India. I am completely
heart broken over this. Please be aware of the potential toxins in any and
all stuff like this in our homes. I would've never guessed this could happen
but when I saw them both "playing" in the potpourri and then after about two
hours saw the symptoms of a poisoning, I just put two and two together. Hug
your babies, Love them and always take lots of photos along the way…it
helps later on, trust me.
Karen Cantner, Heartland Kennels, Evansville, Indiana USA