Common garden plants can kill your dog!!!
Beware of hidden dangers for your dog...right in your own yard!!!
We all love Spring and Summer for the foliage, greenery, and flowers that are so abundant. They smell wonderful and look beautiful. But did you know those same plants that you put in your garden to make your yard and garden attractive can also kill your dog?
According to Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, a veterinarian and board-certified toxicologist who is vice president of the Animal Poison Control Center, “Many people aren’t aware of just how toxic some of these really common plants are. A rule of thumb is that the prettier it is, the more likely it is to be toxic.” This is especially true for rhododendren plants as well as azaleas, cycad palms, oleander, foxglove, lily of the valley and castor bean plants.
At the Animal Poison Control Center, where they get about 8000 calls per year, the most common plant that poisons dogs and cats are the Easter lillies. If not treated promptly after ingesting any part of this plant, including a leaf, the animal could rapidly go into severe kidney failure and die.
There are about 10 expert tips regarding your dog and plants that I would like to pass on. I will address some in this entry and the remainder in tomorrow’s entry as a followup.
First, don’t assume your pet won’t eat a particular plant. Remember, animals, especially dogs investigate with their mouths and that means they find about things by tasting them. This could be disaterous. The point being, don’t tempt the dog!!
Secondly, know the names of the plants in your yard. If your dog does eat something that could be poisonous and you have to call the poison control center, you want to be able to tell them exactly what your dog ate. Without that information, it may be more difficult to treat your dog, resulting in a more severe reaction or possibly death.
More on plants when we continue tomorrow!!
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