Poisonous plants.....

[fudge stripe cookays]

Hey all--

this was posted on the Yahoo group for Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue (where we got Fargo).

Thought it might help some other folks, since much of this was news to me too!

Fudge

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"In December, both pet owners had to face their worst
fears.

"I saw her playing with something outside," Miller said. "I had
no idea it was something that would be dangerous or deadly, really.
Within an hour, she was throwing up."

Both Abbie and Sadie had eaten seeds from a sago palm -- a
hearty plant found in yards across Houston.

"My husband counted 49 sago palms in the front yards of my small
street," Miller said.

Sago Palm BushThe plants are perfect for hot, humid climates.

What most people are not aware of is the seeds in the center of
the sago palm are deadly to animals and sometimes even small children.

"We were totally shocked because you see sago palms everywhere,"
Rainey said.

"I don't know why people don't know this. Even landscapers don't
know this and a lot of veterinarians don't know it," veterinarian Dr.
Laurie Noaker said.

Noaker is the chief of staff at the Katy Freeway Emergency
Animal Hospital. She said the toxins in the seeds destroy a dog's liver.


"We have just got to get the word out because we are just tired
of watching dogs die, no matter what we do," Noaker said.

"I cried a million tears in the last month," Miller said.

Abbie was one of the few dogs to survive.

"(She was) on plasma, on IVs, on all kinds of medicine just
trying to save her life," Miller said.

It took thousands of dollars, and a week and a half of treatment
that nearly broke the Millers' hearts.

"I don't want anybody else's pet to go through this. It is just
too horrendous. It is a horrible death," Miller said.

Rainey agrees. His dog, Sadie, did not make it.

"She had laid her head on my leg and we knew she was hurting at
the time," he said. "We knew then the prognosis wasn't good, but you're
not ready to give her up then."

The couple had brought in their plants to avoid a freeze on
Christmas Eve. That's when Sadie found the seeds.

"I contacted my brother, who is a horticulturist, who said it
was extremely poisonous. We were like, 'You never told us.' He said,
'You never asked.' You wouldn't think to," Rainey said.

"Tell people if you have this plant, don't bring it in the
house. And if you have it as landscaping, keep it away from the pets,"
Noaker said.

"It is like a plate of poison bubbling on a plate in your
backyard, waiting for a little toddler or puppy to go up and take a
bite," Miller said.

Abbie has a weakened liver, which can still fail. So, for now,
it is a routine of daily medicines and weekly tests.

But Miller believes her dog will make it.

"She has a great life. She doesn't want to give it up," she
said.

Sago palms are not the only dangerous plants out there. Lilies
are especially poisonous to cats, causing kidney failure with just a
nibble on the plant. The oleander can cause severe gastro-intestinal
distress and possible cardiac arrest. The azalea, which is a
rhododendron, can cause vomiting and cardiac problems.


Plants That Are Poisonous To Pets


* Aloe Vera (Medicine Plant)
* Amaryllis
* Andromeda japonica
* Apple (Seeds)
* Apple Leaf Croton
* Asparagus Fern
* Autumn Crocus
* Avocado (fruit and pit)
* Azalea
* Baby's Breath
* Bird of Paradise
* Birds nest sansovioria
* Bittersweet
* Branching Ivy
* Buckeye
* Buddhist Pine
* Caladium
* Calla Lily
* Carnation
* Castor Bean
* Ceriman
* Cherry (seeds and wilting leaves)
* Chinaberry Tree (berries, bark, leaves, flowers)
* Chinese Evergreen
* Christmas Cactus
* Christmas Rose
* Chrysanthemum
* Cineraria
* Clematus
* Coleus
* Cordatum
* Corn Plant
* Cornstalk Plant
* Croton
* Cuban Laurel
* Cycads
* Cyclamen
* Daffodil
* Daisy
* Day Lily (cats)
* Dracaena
* Dragon Tree
* Dumb Cane (all types)
* Dieffenbachia
* Easter Lily (especially cats)
* Elaine
* Elephant Ears
* Emerald Feather
* English Ivy
* Fiddle-leaf Fig
* Flamingo Plant
* Florida Beauty
* Foxglove
* Geranium
* German Ivy
* Glacier Ivy
* Glory Lily
* Golden Pothos
* Hahn's Self-Branching
* Heavenly Bamboo
* Hibiscus
* Holly
* Hosta
* Hurricane Plant
* Hyacinth
* Hydrangea
* Indian Laurel
* Indian Rubber Plant
* Iris
* Japanese Show Lily (especially cats)
* Jade Plant
* Jerusalem Cherry
* Kalanchoe (Panda Bear Plant)
* Lily of the Valley
* Macadamia Nut
* Madagascar Dragon Tree
* Marble Queen
* Marijuana
* Miniature Croton
* Mistletoe
* Morning Glory
* Mother-in-Law's Tongue
* Narcissus
* Needlepoint Ivy
* Nephthytis
* Nightshade
* Norfolk Pine
* Oleander
* Onion
* Oriental Lily (especially cats)
* Peace Lily
* Peach (wilting leaves and pits)
* Pencil Cactus
* Philodendron (all types)
* Plum (wilting leaves and seeds)
* Plumosa Fern
* Poinsettia (low toxicity)
* Poison Ivy
* Poison Oak
* Pothos
* Precatory Bean
* Primrose (Primula)
* Red Emerald
* Red Princess
* Rhododendron
* Ribbon Plant
* Sago Palm
* Satin Pothos
* Schefflera
* Silver Pothos
* String of Pearls/Beads
* Sweetheart Ivy
* Swiss Cheese Plant
* Taro Vine
* Tiger Lily (especially cats)
* Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem and leaves)
* Tulip
* Variegated Rubber Plant
* Wandering Jew
* Weeping Fig
* Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
* Yew
* Yucca

This list only represents the more common toxic plants. For a
more complete list, contact the National Animal Poison Control Center
<http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0002.htm> at [phone] or (900)
680-0000.

[underseasurveyor]

1. Thanks for the list

Some of those listed I knew about but many of them surprised the heck outta me like aloe and avocado, onion and tomato plant? Wow:wow:

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. Yep, me too!

Good to know, lots of these.

FSC

[Kat45]

3. I know avocados (the fruit) are toxic to birds, so that one doesn't

surprise me. Though not a plant, so is chocolate. I'm surprised about aloe; for some reason I had thought that was safe.

[Eurobabe]

4. thanks for posting this

I have never seen such a list of plants, but then again I have very few plants because I am known to kill them, over time. :)

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. You're welcome!

I knew it would help many of us, in case we ever had any questions.

FSC