Dogs & Poisonous plants
Last post 21-07-2012 8:53 PM by Snark. 10 replies.
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15/04/2012 10:31 PM
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- AshFox
- Norfolk
- 15 Apr 2012
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6
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Hello, I will soon be digging in my parents garden. And there have been concerns. They have dogs and a cat and have raised concerns over plants that are poisenous. I did some basic research and have avoided plants that are particularily toxic. A lot of the plants that are in some lists, ahem, are VERY common in most gardens, and a lot of those gardens have dogs. So I imagine you guys are experianced gardeners ;) and may even be dog owners to boot. Whats your opinion? What should definately be avoided? I think Im good, but would value any wisdom you have to offer. Thanks! (Like mock orange..I would really like one, but have read mixed opinions on this.)
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16/04/2012 07:54 AM
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- miranda
- Oxfordshire
- 17 Nov 2004
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4,081
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There are a lot of poisonous plants, AshFox, but that doesn't automatically mean that a dog or cat will eat them. We had a dog for many years and whilst he enjoyed smelling flowers, he never once tried to eat one and the only plant matter he ever chewed on was grass. Most plants will simply be unpalatable, tough or bitter, and won't be seen as a source of food. I wouldn't worry about it.
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16/04/2012 09:15 AM
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- sue1002
- Ipswich, Suffolk
- 06 Sep 2005
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9,505
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My dog has never tried eating any poisonous plants that I have in the garden. Most dogs are highly intelligent creatures and can usually sniff out danger and will therefore leave the poisonous ones alone.
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16/04/2012 12:39 PM
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- AshFox
- Norfolk
- 15 Apr 2012
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6
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Aye these were my arguments, thanks. Things got quite heated! I even pointed out the only plants the dogs where eating was grass, and plants dont tend to give off a toxic scent (well there is a corpse flower but thats a different kettle of fish lol.
Cheers, anymore opinions welcome.
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16/04/2012 01:14 PM
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Hi AshFox, I totally agree with above comments. We breed cock-a-poos and don't give a them second thought when choosing plants in our garden, at least two of which are probably poisonous to most things. Haven't lost a puppy to plant poisoning yet, or even noticed them do more than sniff and sometimes lick our plants (apart from grass, of course.). If your parents are anything like mine, then their love for their dogs is, at least on average, much greater than their love for any human  . Logic won't help you in such a discussion! When I was a boy, we had a dog who lived to a ripe old age and liked to scoff yew berries. Have fun, Ed
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16/04/2012 02:04 PM
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- madmuncher
- Nottinghamshire
- 20 Mar 2010
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140
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Yep..just like others..over the years none of my dogs have ever had any issues with eating poisonous plants. I think I have more poisonous plants growing out there than those that are harmless. My chickens are same..they might rip them apart but won't eat them..
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17/04/2012 02:42 AM
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- honeybunny
- Dublin, Ireland
- 02 Apr 2012
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19
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i'd be watching a teething pup like a hawk as you know what they're like for gnawing on everything and anything but as the majority have said most adult dogs don't generally give the plants in the garden a seconds thought...apart of course from aiming at them whilst cocking their leg! lol that said given their penchant for eating grass i have always made a point of not planting anything poisonous with long strappy grass type leaves (Kniphofia/daff's/bluebells for instance) as i've noticed when the grass is cut too short for the dogs to easily "graze" then they'll look elsewhere for something similar...one of our three dogs has been known to go munch on the Pampas when he cant find "proper" grass! its safe though (non-poisonous) so does him no harm.
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17/04/2012 08:50 PM
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- Snark
- Suffolk
- 12 Jan 2011
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281
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I'm a vet and a dog and cat owner.In 30 years in practice I've seen one lily poisoning in cats -and that does seem to be a real and serious threat.A colleague had a daffodil poisoning -acute vomiting& diarrhoea but no long term effects. The most interesting one I have seen was an onion poisoning,. A small dog ate several big raw onions and developed a severe haemolytic anaemia. The bottom line is dont worry. I grow monkshood,laburnum and a host of other theoretical nasties . Most brassicas are so poisonous they would never get past modern elf 'n'safety. The dog is fine and the last dog made 17. However I dont grow as many lilies as I used to because they really can kill cats just from pollen falling on their coats.This should be more widely known. The really common garden problems are bits of stick stuck in dog mouths and strands of grass in cat throats. Keep the slug bait under lock and key as well.
For the Snark was a boojum you see
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17/07/2012 03:27 AM
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- honeybunny
- Dublin, Ireland
- 02 Apr 2012
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19
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@Snark, whats the deal with dogs and onions? is it just in really large quantities or is even a small amount risky? ...is cooked as dangerous or is it just raw?
i've always wondered about this, years ago (before we knew better) we used to let the dogs (really small dogs Bichon/chihuahua) have the likes of leftover spaghetti bolognese and such...stuff that had absolutely bucketfuls of onion in it, never did them any harm thank god but of course once we heard they can die from eating it that was the end of that, now they dont get anything that has even a pinch of onion in it.
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17/07/2012 08:20 AM
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- miranda
- Oxfordshire
- 17 Nov 2004
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4,081
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I asked our vet about this some years ago and she said that onions and garlic make dogs anaemic, but that they'd have to eat a great deal, and often, for it to affect them. Our dog always ate what we ate, including oniony spag bol and Indian food, and he was fine.
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21/07/2012 08:53 PM
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- Snark
- Suffolk
- 12 Jan 2011
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281
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Dont worry about the amount of cooked onion in normal food.My dog happily finishes off stews etc. At one time people used to give their dogs garlic tablets to ward off fleas. I promise that they didnt work at all but didnt kill the dogs either. My onion poisoning case was really weird. The dog owner had a visitor with a heavy cold and put 2 large raw onions beside her bed (no I dont think I would want raw onion by my bed either)The dog was a small one, about 8kg ,and ate both onions raw. It had a really spectacular anaemia as a result but the Veterinary Poisons Information service said that ,although it is in all the text books, this was the first case that they had ever met.
For the Snark was a boojum you see
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