TOREROS BACK ON GRIDIRON AFTER A LONG COVID HIATUS
Toxins and irritants in foliage, soil, additives make them a potentially dangerous and even deadly combination
When USD’s 2020 football season was postponed because of COVID-19, running back Emilio Martinez passed his idle Saturdays the way you’d expect a college football player would. Along with his six roommates, all USD players, they watched Alabama, Notre Dame and the rest of major college football on TV.
Said Martinez, “We’d be wondering, ‘Man, if there’s a way for them to figure this out (how to play), I wish we could have done the same thing.’ ”
Come today in Des Moines, Iowa, after a wait of 469 days since last stepping on a field, Martinez and his Toreros teammates will play football again, taking on Drake. It’s the first of a scheduled six-game Pioneer Football League spring football season that because of the virus figures to face challenges.
At 78, USD’s Dale Lindsey is the oldest Division I head football coach and has been coaching at the pro and college level nearly five decades. In a sport where players are grabbing, pushing, shoving and falling on top of each other, Lindsey said he’ll be stunned if players aren’t infected by the virus.
“I just don’t know how you can’t get exposed playing football,” said Lindsey. “Like basketball, you’re all over each other with sweaty bodies. I don’t know what this spring season is going to be like.”
Players had to pass two COVID tests before they could begin practicing, which started Feb. 5. They’re tested two or three times a week.
Despite those precautions, the team has had virus outbreaks. Lindsey said one entire position group missed two consecutive practices because of COVID protocols.
“I warn them every day they’re very close to getting this (season) shut down,” said Lindsey. “You have to watch what you’re doing. They have to put their health number one, then the football stuff will fall in line.”
Martinez, who contracted the virus last summer, said teammates understand the risk of playing, but at a non-scholarship program where they’re already playing for the love of the game, they long to play again.
“I feel like that (potentially testing positive) is an uncontrollable,” Martinez said. “If we contract it during football, everyone’s on the same page. If we’re willing to go out and play, we’re willing to put that risk out there as well.”
Maybe no Torero appreciates the opportunity to play this spring more than quarterback Mason Randall, who has been tabbed USD’s starter. Randall is a fifth-year senior who has bided his time, backing up first Anthony Lawrence, then Reid Sinnett, both of whom became Walter Payton Award finalists.
Randall’s career numbers as a backup: three pass attempts, two completions for 38 yards.
Asked if he feels pressure succeeding two quarterbacks who have been on professional rosters, Lawrence in Japan and Sinnett in the NFL, Randall said, “Not a whole lot. What I go back to is if you’re good enough to be a starter here you’re going to be good enough to uphold the standards that have been set.”
The six-game season will count in the PFL record book. The PFL champion will advance to the 16-team FCS playoffs, along with the 10 other conference winners.
Randall knows that be it the fall or spring, USD will be the hunted in its league. The Toreros have outright won or shared the league title eight of the past nine seasons. USD is riding a 37game PFL winning streak, the second longest league winning streak in FCS history, and with no preseason games, won’t have the luxury of solving question marks.
“We have to make sure we come out hot and firing on all cylinders,” said Randall. “We’ve got to be ready from Week 1.”
Prayer plant
About two years ago, after adopting an extremely shy young Siamese cat I named Bodhi, I woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like someone crunching on a celery stalk. I turned on the light to find Bodhi on top of my dresser, surreptitiously munching on the leaves of my brilliant orange flowered bromeliad. He was too afraid to leave my home office during the day, but it turned out that he roamed the house nocturnally — and decided to snack on a plant I thought he couldn’t reach.
The good news is that Bodhi has come out of his shell and is out and about during the day. Just as fortunate is that bromeliads are among the “safe” — as in not toxic — household plants that pet owners can keep in their homes without much worry.
While houseplants and floral bouquets make beautiful decorative statements, there are plants that can seriously sicken and even kill your beloved dog or cat when consumed — and sometimes even simply brushed against. Think about your cat, who while self-grooming could lick pollen from an Easter lily in a bouquet that she brushed against on the coffee table. Just the ingested pollen from that flower could cause kidney injury or death.
Our pets will eat plants for a variety of reasons.
“One thing that’s very uncommon would be a medical condition like pica,” said Dr. Zara Hedge, vice president and chief medical officer at the San Diego Humane Society, referring to a disorder in which the animal compulsively eats nonfood substances, such as soil or rocks. “I feel more often they may just like the taste or the flavor, but it also could be a behavioral thing, especially for cats or kittens. They may see plants or leaves as a fun toy to play with. And a lot of dogs like the flavor or texture of the soil.”
Hedge’s colleague, a Humane Society veterinarian Dr. Susan Garity, added that it’s often also boredom play.
There are some plants — including many lily species — that are out-and-out dangerous to dogs and cats. Among them are iris, carnation, coleus, cyclamen, daffodils, dieffenbachia, philodendron, schefflera and even tulips. And that’s far from all of them. Some, like those Easter lilies, are only toxic to cats.
Is eating any of these an automatic death sentence? Perhaps — hopefully — not. But if you have any plants toxic to dogs or cats in your home and you’ve discovered they’ve ingested any part of them, you should immediately call the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 to learn what to do, or call your veterinarian. According to the helpline, some signs of poisoning can include vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, coughing or vomiting blood, pale gums, collapse or weakness.
Anita Sly, a veterinary technician at Governor Animal Clinic in University City, pointed out that even some plants that are not considered toxic to dogs or cats can cause health issues.
“Even if spider plants aren’t toxic, cats can throw up if they eat enough. Chewing on orchid tendrils can mess with the gastrointestinal tract of a sensitive animal,” she pointed out. “Cats are the biggest culprits when it comes to eating plants. A number of cats have inflammatory bowel disease. With IBD, if they eat a Christmas cactus or even a sunflower, it’s not ‘toxic’ but it can make them sick and cause a flareup.”
She also noted that some plants — or parts of plants — can cause mouth burns, vomiting, diarrhea and compromised organs.
Another issue to consider is the potting soil and plant food added to it for houseplants. Soil-dwelling parasites can create GI upsets, and eating a significant amount of soil can cause impacted intestines. But just as problematic is fertilizer toxicity, according to Garity. It’s better to choose a natural fertilizer over chemical. Bark and bark mulch, used for decorative purposes or to keep soil moist, is an invitation to a dog or cat for chewing. Get rid of it. And you know those little packets of flower food that come with flower arrangements that you add to the water in the vase? Most contain sugar, citric acid and bleach. So, you don’t want your curious dog or cat to take a sip or more of that mixture.
So, how can you safely keep plants, including cut flowers, in your home if you have pets?
• The ASPCA has what many vets consider the definitive list of poisonous substances that goes beyond plants, to also include human foods, human medications and household products. Their mobile app is helpful but appears more limited. The website (aspca.org/pet-care/animalpoison-control) is more comprehensive. The plant list is divided between toxic and nontoxic plants and between dogs and cats. Keep this on your mobile phone and consult it when shopping for plants.
• Keep plants out of reach. High, out-of-the-way places are best. This is easier to manage with most dogs. Cats have a greater reach, so you have to be creative. Hedge puts her plants on shelves that are high on walls and has plants hanging from the ceiling. Garity has a Plexiglas terrarium.
• Don’t substitute real plants with decorative, fake ones. Animals may still chew on them and, Hedge warned, this can then lead to intestinal obstructions.
• When feeding plants, Garity suggested using natural options as opposed to chemical. A compost mix is a good option. Anything like egg shells, kelp, shellfish or fish should be well buried in the soil. Grass clippings should be free of pesticides, and alfalfa meal should be in small portions. And, she added, while these are safer than chemical fertilizers, they can still cause issues if ingested in large amounts or eaten by animals who have a sensitivity to them. Retailers such as Amazon, Wayfair and Walmart carry plant pot grids and mesh to cover the soil of potted plants, as a safety measure for pets or babies.
• Use kitty grass as a distraction — but be aware that your cat may vomit it back up if she has a sensitive stomach.
• If you suspect that your cat or dog is noshing on plants because they’re bored or curious, find other enrichment for them, like puzzles filled with treats or safe toys they enjoy.
• Because even “safe” plants can cause stomach issues if the animal is sensitive or just eats too much (And who wants a chewedup plant on display?), try regularly spraying the plant with Grannick’s Bitter Apple, lemon juice diluted with water, or diluted Tabasco sauce. If you’re lucky, your pet will be repelled by the scent or taste and leave it alone.
“I think you can have plants and you can have pets in the same house,” said Hedge. “You just may have to be a little creative and you may not be able to get the plants you really want.”