Some helpful advice on which garden plants might poison your pets
Dear Landscaper,
A few dogs in our area have been sick and the vet said it could possibly be poison from a plant. Do you know what common plants in the area can harm our pets?
Dear Reader,
The same thing recently happened to a friend’s dog. The vet thinks it was poison, but I have done a little extra research to send to my animal-loving friends and clients. Below is a list of the common plants in Quintana Roo and what to watch out for.
- Aloe: This came as a surprise to us. The sap of the plant is toxic (yellowish latex) just below the skin of the thick, fleshy stem. The aloe gel from the plant is used for medicinal purposes.
Effects to watch out for: bubbles on the skin, salivating, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weak pulse, and eye irritation.
- Anthurium: The flower, stem and leaves are all poisonous.
Effects to watch out for: salivating, intense itching of the face, swelling of the face, vomiting, and paralysis of the tongue.
- Crotos: Just the sap part of this common plant is poisonous.
Effects to watch out for: skin blisters, oral mucus, salivating, vomiting, diarrhea, weak pulse, abdominal pain, and eye irritation.
- Lilium: Has many species and varieties that are extremely toxic to cats and less toxic to dogs.
Effects to watch out for: In cats, it produces acute renal failure. In dogs, only
minor gastrointestinal problems.
- Amoena: Chewing or biting into the plant releases crystals which penetrate the tissue of both cats and dogs, resulting in injury.
Effects to watch out for: Clinical signs may be seen immediately and include:
pawing at the face (secondary to oral pain), drooling, foaming and vomiting. Moderate to severe swelling of the lips, tongue, oral cavity, and upper airways may also occur, making it difficult to breathe or swallow.
- Zica or Sago Palm: All parts of this plant are poisonous, especially the seed/nut.
Effects to watch out for: In dogs, it causes liver failure, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, lack of appetite, abnormal fluid accumulation in the abdomen, abdominal pain, jaundice, and black, tarry stools.
Contact: greenwaylandscaping@email.com
