Pet Poison Prevention Month (Series) Part Two: Scary Plants
by Christy Caplan
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March 17, 2016 As we celebrate St. Patty’s Day, I was thinking about a doing a post that highlights green food and plants dogs should stay away from but there just weren’t enough green items in the list!
So part two of the series is focused on plants – which are “green” -close enough!
No dogs were drinking green beer during this photo session but celebrating and partying on the deck. In boas and silly hats.
Keep your animals out of harm’s way! They should be celebrating life Every. Single. Day. Not just on St. Patty’s Day.
When I went through Vet Tech School – we learned about a few plants that I honestly had no idea were toxic and could cause problems. Our dogs dig under all plants so many of the flowers I had in the yard were an issue.
According to the ASPCA, the list is long – so please visit their site for the complete list (more than 700 plants). Here are the more common plants found that pet parents should be careful around when they have their animals with them:
- Azaleas: entire plant is toxic
- Daffodil bulbs are toxic
- Easter lily: entire plant is toxic for CATS (Day lily too)
- Potato: shoots and sprouts are toxic
- Rhododendron: leaves are toxic
- English Ivy: entire plant especially leaves
- Iris: leaves and root
- Nightshade: leaves and berries
- Rhubarb: leaves
- Sago Palm: entire plant and seeds
- Wild Black cherry: leaves and pits
Given these are on the “list” I recommend calling your vet rather than only watching for GI upset if you know your dog was eating leaves or berries.
The ASPCA is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.
Resources:
- http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/pet-food/#dangerous-foods
- http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/dogs-plant-list
- Series – Part one
We had a puppy who chewed on a hydrangea bush. Several hours later she began foaming at the mouth, I took her to the emergency vet and, fortunately, he was able to save her. It was a frightening experience for all of us.
Thanks so much – I hope others see your post and I’m so glad everything turned out ok… I honestly didn’t know that a lot of the plants were toxic and Hydrangea’s are everywhere on our neighborhood. I had a girlfriend that experienced something similar. I’ve literally pulled up entire bushes from our backyard as we have some plants the dog dig underneath and since they eat dirt 🙂 when they dig, I know they’re going to eat some leaves or branches too – scary for sure.