Canine News You Can Use
5 Plants That Might Be Harmful To Rover (some might surprise you)
Is your dog Mr. (or Ms.) Apathy?.....or The Hungry Goat?.....or Herbivourous Relentless?
You probably know about the danger that lilies, azaleas, and onions can pose to our dogs. They are toxic to varying degrees. But there are many other plants that can be harmful for your dog to ingest, and some are common landscaping plants here in Tennessee. I have trained dogs that have zero interest in eating any plant matter. I have trained dogs that will graze on grass until the cows come home… and we don’t have any cows, so that would be a long time! And I have trained dogs that seek out all kind of plants to munch on while they get a workout or play on the property. So, you have to decide which type of dog you have: Mr. (or Ms.) Apathy, The Hungry Goat, or Herbivourous Relentless.
We had a couple of trees on the property that produced small fruit (not edible), and were in locations that dogs were commonly play or train. I took some of the leafy twigs to Holcomb Garden Center on SR153 in Hixson to see if they could help identify the trees. They identified it as a cherry tree, ornamental cherry tree, or chokecherry. So, I did an investigative Google search and found that the stems, leaves, seeds can contain cyanide. It seemed like a wee bit of a problem to me, so I had the trees removed. But what else, I pondered, might be problematic to my dogs or the dogs I train. Here are just a few that might be of interest to you, taken from the ASPCA web site:
Hydrangea: May cause vomiting and more... Click here for full details.
American Holly: May cause vomiting, diarrhea and more... Click here for full details.
Tomato Plant: May cause hypersalivation, inappetence, and more... Click here for full details.
Baby’s Breath: May cause vomiting and diarrhea. Click here for full details.
Locust Tree (Robinia): May cause loss of appetite, depression, stupor, and more... Click here for full details.
Is it something to get worked up about? Probably not. But it is good to know some of the hazardous plants, the symptoms you might see, and the resource for more information: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants
What kind of plant-eating dog do you have? Post on Facebook: Mr. (Ms.) Apathy, or The Hungry Goat, or Herbivourous Relentless
Breaking Through Barriers, Transforming Lives...
Jeff