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courtesy of rerod
Fido needs to go out for a walk but you’re too busy working or cleaning the house. You have a fenced in yard so you let him out, but did you know that there may be poisonous flowers in your garden that may hurt or kill your canine?
For example, the unassuming Buttercup flower can cause stomach upset in your dog but the Calla Lilly can not only cause stomach upset but mouth irritation, asphyxiation, seizures and death.
Some poisonous flowers have been used for healing but it is advisable not to bring them into your home. The autumn crocus is prized for it’s ability to bloom (even when not planted). However, the autumn crocus is poisonous and when ingested can cause vomiting, diarrhea, increased blood pressure, even respiratory failure. However, it was traditionally used for treating gout and rheumatism.
The Delphinium flower grows in colder climates and due to it’s self-seeding nature, has become a cottage garden favourite…however, all the parts of the Delphinium flower are poisonous. Eating it will make your lips and throat burn and can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea and may paralyze the respiratory system. Interestingly, the Delphinium flower has been used as an herbal remedy for asthma but also during WWII, soldiers learned that the Delphinium flower was also a very effective insecticide which helped deal with nits and lice.
There’s even a animal poison control centre that deals with situations where a dog or cat has ingested poisonous flowers or plants…even marijuana.
The thing about poisonous plants or flowers is they look just as beautiful as
non-poisonous ones, sometimes even more beautiful. They can look exotic or just plain pretty so you really need to know which ones are toxic to be able to protect you animal.
If you should see any signs or symptoms that your animal has been exposed or has eaten something toxic you should not waste time looking it up on “google”….call the animal poison control centre right away.
Some of the signs of exposure is drooling, vomiting, lethargy, sweating, respiratory problems, dilated pupils, bloody stool, frothing at the mouth, muscle spasms, twitching etc….
Dogs (and animals) are man’s best friend so in a situation where our best friend is in distress…..man becomes the dog’s best friend!!
