While spring and summer fruits are good for you, certain parts of these seasonal offerings can be potentially irritating—and in some situations, occasionally toxic—to companion animals.

According to the experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), the peels, fruit, and seeds of citrus plants such as lemons, oranges, limes, and grapefruits contain varying amounts of citric acid, limonin, and volatile oils that can cause gastrointestinal irritation and result in vomiting and diarrhea. As for apples, cherries, peaches and apricots, their stems, leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides that have the potential to cause vomiting and loss of appetite—and in severe cases, weakness, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation, shock and even death.

“Typically, these severe effects develop from very large ingestions of plant material, more likely to occur with grazing animals such as horses or other livestock,” says the ASPCA’s Dana Farbman, CVT. “The consumption of a few segments of citrus fruit, an apple or two, or a few cherries would usually not be expected to cause serious problems beyond perhaps minor stomach upset. However, it is important for animal owners to be aware of the potential for problems that these fruit trees can produce.”

As a companion animal owner, it’s always a good idea to become familiar with different types of plants in and around the home—and make sure that potentially poisonous species are not accessible to your pets

Companies that were sued over contaminated pet food linked to the deaths of perhaps thousands of dogs and cats have agreed to pay $24 million to pet owners in the United States and Canada.

The settlement is detailed in papers filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. It still needs a judge’s approval.

“The settlement attempts to reimburse pet owners for all of their economic damages,” said Russell Paul, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The deal would affect people who incurred expenses directly related to the illness or death of a pet linked to the food, which was at the center of the biggest-ever U.S. pet food recall in 2007.

Nearly 300 people sued about 30 companies in state and federal courts. They and perhaps thousands of other pet owners would be eligible for payments under the deal.

Ontario-based Menu Foods Income Fund, which makes dog and cat food under about 90 brand names, and other firms that make or sell pet food announced April 1 that they were settling lawsuits with pet owners.

The pet food was discovered to contain wheat gluten imported from China that was contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics. Though Menu was the first company to issue recalls, four other companies eventually recalled pet foods, too.

Some of the companies have already paid out more than $8 million to people whose pets were sickened or killed after eating the contaminated food.

Under the terms of the deal announced Thursday, pet owners could be reimbursed for all reasonable expenditures, including veterinarian bills and burial or cremation costs.

Pet owners could also ask for the fair market value of their deceased pets, if that is higher than the costs incurred. Owners who do not have documentation of their expenses can get up to $900 each. All claims are subject to a review.

The companies say they will donate any money left in the fund after claims are paid out to animal welfare charities.

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