Garden Dangers for Your Pet

Guest blog by Lorie Huston, DVM, who is a writer and blogger that speaks with authority on pet topics. 

Dogs like Tucker depend on gardeners to keep their pets safe from plants pretty to look at but toxic to munch. Photo credit Lorie Huston, DVM

A lush garden is a beauty to behold but it can hold many dangers for your pet. Some of these dangers are minimal while others may be life-threatening.

True lilies include Oriental types, the genera botanically called Lilium. Common names such as daylily do not refer to a true lily as the botanical name is Hemerocallis. Photo credit Chuck Eirschele.

 Many of the plants and flowers we grow in our gardens are toxic to our pets.  Lilies are quite dangerous, especially for cats but for dogs as well.  All parts of the true lilies are considered to be poisonous and potentially lethal.  Digitalis plants contain a chemical that can cause heart arrhythmias for both dogs and cats.  Onions are another example of a plant which may be toxic to pets, causing a blood disease known as anemia.  These are just a few examples of plants dangerous for our pets.

Tall spiky plants called Digitalis, or commonly referred to as foxglove, are beautiful and attracts pollinators. But dogs and cats should be discouraged from munching the plant's parts. Photo credit Chuck Eirschele.

Flower bulbs, commonly planted in the spring, are another danger for our pets.  When ingested, these bulbs can be toxic for unsuspecting pets.  Bone meal and other fertilizers used in gardens can also be poisonous for our pets if ingested.  In some cases, curious pets many suffer a “double toxicity” through the ingestions of both bulbs and fertilizers.

The beautiful flowers, its leaves and the fruit it later develops on Lantana are posionous. Small annual forms are best planted up and away in hanging baskets or where pets do not roam. Photo credit Chuck Eirschele.

To protect your pet, keep fertilizers and all garden chemicals out of your pet’s reach or where these products have been applied.  Use fencing or other barriers to keep your pet away from plants, flowers or herbs that may be poisonous.

Cocoa mulch is another potential danger, particularly for curious dogs.  Cocoa mulch contains theobromine, the same chemical that makes chocolate toxic to pets.  Cocoa mulch is particularly dangerous when first laid down.  With time and exposure to rain and other weather, the theobromine tends to be leached out of the mulch, making it less dangerous.

Bio: Lorie Huston, DVM is a pet health/pet care expert and professional writer/blogger.  She currently practices veterinary medicine in Rhode Island.  You can find Lorie at her blog, Pet Health Care Gazette.