This plant is a common ornamental flowering plant that blooms in the fall. Autumn crocus can be found naturally in your backyard, but can also thrive as an indoor plant. All parts of autumn crocus are highly toxic to cats and are also poisonous to dogs and horses.
Keeping Your Garden Safe
While keeping an eye out for potentially toxic plants, remember that gardening also carries other common risks. Fertilizer is great for your plants, but curious dogs may find it very attractive and even dangerous. Fertilizer consumption can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally weakening or stiffness in the hind legs of your pets.
Furthermore, insecticides might help deter bothersome bugs from entering your lovely garden, but these products can be harmful to pets if the label’s instructions are not followed. Always use caution when dealing with insect poisons.
When using fertilizers and insecticides in your garden, it’s best to keep your pet out of the area and to carefully follow the directions on the labels. Keep your flowers fenced off and any inquisitive paws away from the garden if you feel that one of the above springtime plants is missing from your space.
If you’d like to learn more about spring garden safety, listen to our podcast below, where Dr. Tina Wismer, discusses poisonous spring plants and more!.
Please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) at 888-426-4435 right away if you think your pet may have come into contact with any poisonous materials.
Which Spring Plants Should I Look Out For?
Lilies usually come to mind when we think of plants that are harmful. When it comes to eating lily plants, cats are most vulnerable, and the symptoms can be quite dangerous. Cats that consume either of the two varieties of true lilies (Asiatic or Daylilies) may experience severe kidney problems or possibly pass away, so keep that in mind when designing your garden.
In addition, tulips, hyacinths, and irises are among the other plants that could seriously endanger the health of your pet. All three are regarded as toxic to dogs and cats alike, and if consumed, can result in drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. All parts of these plants contain toxic components. But the concentration of the bulbs makes it the most dangerous area.
The crocus is another common toxic plant, but did you know that there are two varieties? The spring-blooming variety (Crocus sp.) ), and one (Colchicum Autumnale) blooms in the fall, but they are both poisonous. If any part of the spring Crocus plant is consumed, it may result in gastrointestinal distress such as vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. Conversely, Fall Crocus can result in far more severe symptoms, such as frequent vomiting, diarrhea, damage to the liver and kidneys, and even potential harm to the bone marrow.
And last, daffodils are yet another dangerous springtime plant to beware of. The daffodil bulb is particularly poisonous and can induce drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. All parts of the daffodil plant have the potential to induce depression, hypotension, and seizures in dogs and cats when consumed in large quantities.
Poisonous Plants for Dogs
Not even plants you might expect are among the first to be toxic to dogs. Dogs can be especially at risk from spring bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, Narcissus, and hyacinths, because of the skin at the base of the bulb, according to Lee. When consumed in large quantities, these flowers can induce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, regardless of whether they are dug up from a garden or nibbled on some bulbs that are ready to be planted. Larger ingestions can cause more severe symptoms, such as elevated heart and breathing rates, foreign body obstructions, and, in rare instances, cardiac arrhythmias.
According to Lee, dogs have a higher propensity than other types of fertilizers to dig up bulbs planted in organic fertilizers. Although they are an excellent natural source of nitrogen and make use of leftover animal products, they are frequently composed of bone, blood, or feather meal, which gives dogs an enticing combination of scents and encourages them to consume both the fertilizer and the deadly bulbs. According to Lee, organic fertilizers by themselves don’t pose a health risk, but when consumed in large amounts, they can clog a dog’s stomach and result in pancreatitis, vomiting, and diarrhea.
FAQ
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