Some common plants are poisonous to our furry friends
By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
My dog "Whiskey" was once a victim of my own ignorance a few years ago. I came home one day from the grocery store, and there she was, hoping and pleading for some kind of treat. Green grapes, maybe. I gave her a few, not remembering at first, the "people food" can be toxic, for the little bugger. Something long ago, (nagging Gardener and Pet Owner info, I guess, whispered "Wrong," in my ear.) And I took "Whiskey" to the vet, admitting my transgression, because I couldn't bear to hurt the poor, innocent canine.
It is easy to forget that there is a lot of justifiable prohibition in the plant and animal world, if we pay attention.
Not necessarily related to their possible effects on dog's health, there are six plants that are absolutely prohibited here in Colorado. They are as follows:
Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites)
Myrtle spurge is Colorado Department of Agriculture's Noxious Weed list as a plant that must be eradicated immediately. Although there's currently a small population in Colorado, they are extremely harmful if found growing here.
Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum)
Orange hawkweed is another attractive but invasive ornamental categorized on List A.on the Colorado Department of Agriculture Noxious Weeds. Like myrtle spurge, orange hawkweed should be removed from a garden or yard if found.
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Don't let these pretty purple flowers fool you! Purple loosestrife is another unwanted and illegal species in the state of Colorado.
Hairy willow-herb (Epilobium hirsutum)
Hairy willow-herb (Epilobium hirsutum)as ornamentals. Despite their beauty, hairy willow herbs are also on Colorado's List A, meaning they require immediate eradication. Keep an eye out for these blooming from June to August. If found, they should be bagged and disposed, especially if seeds have started to develop. This plant with pretty purple blossoms is another deceiving species. In fact, at one point in the past, they were sold in nurseries.
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
This invasive plant is anything but glorious - especially to Coloradans.
Tree of Heaven is a noxious species that can destroy entire ecosystems once it spreads to an area. The wind-born seeds make it easily spreadable, as well as suckers from mature trees. Once established, the plant releases chemicals through its roots that can inhibit other vegetation from growing around it. Tree of Heaven has only recently been introduced in Colorado, but there have already been multiple sightings of this plant reported across the state.
Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyarissias)
Cypress spurge, also known as graveyard moss and squib-knocket, typically grows in dry, sandy soil. The bright orange-red flowers bloom in early summer but should be plucked from the yard if it is located. Chemicals may be needed for complete eradication.
Read More: These Six Plants Are Illegal to Grow in Colorado | https://999thepoint.com/ixp/48/p/these-6-plants-are-illegal-to-grow-in-colorado/?
"We love our dogs and our gardens, but sometimes it seems the two don't mix well," according to a more-than-a-decade article in "Home and Garden." The staff-produced piece sugeests the following:
Start Young
The earlier you start training your dog, the better. Old dogs can learn new tricks, but if you have a puppy, begin training as soon as you bring it home. Let it know right away what parts of the garden are off limits. And don't assume puppies can't learn. Even puppies as young as six weeks old can master basic commands.
Don't Leave Your Dog Alone
If you want a perfect lawn or garden, don't just leave your dog outside while you're at work. Dogs require exercise and get bored easily. Left alone, they quickly find ways to amuse themselves—and that may mean digging up your favorite plants or tearing out your sod.
Teach Your Dog Obedience
Take your dog to an obedience class so it understands basic commands, such as sit, stay, and down. Larger dogs, especially, make better gardening partners if they know how to hang out without causing trouble or getting in the way.
Latch Your Gates
To keep your dog from getting out of your yard, make sure your garden gates have strong latches. A gate lock will prevent delivery people or neighborhood children from leaving it open.
Here's a Hint: Make sure your dog always wears a collar with ID tags, and have it microchipped as soon as possible. That way, if he or she gets loose, your chances of recovery will be greater.
Use a Fence
When all else fails, protect your beds and borders with a low fence. Here, a low picket fence was all that was required to keep this bouncy bruiser at bay. You'll be surprised at how even the most meager fence can be a visual barrier for your dog.
Here's a Hint: Check your fence once a month to be sure your pet hasn't dug an escape route or gnawed a hole through a hidden corner.
Try a Kennel
If your dog has to spend a lot of time by itself, build a kennel where he or she can remain safe during the day. Most kennels are chain-link, but you can create something more eye-catching with ornamental fencing. Cover the ground with gravel and be sure your dog has plenty of fresh water and shelter from the elements.
Use Your Deck
A large deck can be a great place for your dog to enjoy the outdoors when you can't watch him or her every minute. Install a sturdy railing and gate, making sure that your dog can't get its head stuck between the supports.
Here's a Hint: Give you dog plenty of chew toys to keep it occupied. This will also protect your deck from becoming a snack for your dog.
Play with Your Dog
Dogs need physical and mental stimulation each day. So carve out time to give your dog a long walk or playtime each day. Active breeds like this Border collie can cause a lot of damage to your beds and borders if they're bored.
Here's a Hint: Walk your dog for 45 minutes every day to keep it fit and happy.
Include Your Dog
As you're gardening, provide your dog with an activity. This happy hound gets a tennis ball tossed throughout the day as the owner works in her greenhouse.
Keep Toys Handy
Keep a stash of dog toys in your garden. These can be special toys your dog only gets to play with while he or she is with you in the garden. Here, a lucky golden retriever has a personal selection of colored balls.
Provide Water
Dogs get hot easily, so always be sure to have a source of fresh water available in the garden. This Cavalier King Charles spaniel quenches its thirst from a handmade dog bowl that doubles as a piece of garden art.
As far as dangerous toxic plants in the dog context, Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Science and Biomedical Science identifies the following plants as dangerous to pets in its "Guide to Poisonous Plants."
The following plants are found in Colorado and can prove toxic to both dogs and cats:
- Black nightshade
- Black locust
- Black walnut (toxic only to dogs)
- Buckeye
- Buckwheat
- Buttercup
- Calla Lily
- Choke cherry
- Clematis
- Curly dock
- Death camas
- Hemp dogbane
- Foxglove
- Poison hemlock
- Larkspur
- Laurel
- Milkweed
- Onions (wild and storebought)
- Purslane
- Rhododendron
- St. John’s Wort
- Water hemlock
Some of these plants are also toxic to humans, but not all are.
The effects these plants have on animals can vary, and some can even cause death if ingested.
There are also many common foods that you may find in your pantry that are also toxic to dogs and cats including things like avocados, grapes and chocolate, according to the ASPCA.
In addition, "Better Homes and Gardens," further suggests the following:
Give Them Shelter
Even though your dog lives in the house, it will appreciate having its own retreat outdoors during stormy weather. And remember that doghouses don't have to be eyesores. Design one to match your home, so it fits in with your landscape.
Pave Pathways
Keep feet and paws dry by paving your garden paths with brick or gravel. Most dogs will quickly learn to stay on the paths, which prevents your lawn and garden soil from being packed down.
Here's a Hint: Mulched paths work well, too, but avoid using cocoa bean hulls as they can make your dog sick.
Grow Barrier Plants
Even the most rambunctious dog will avoid garden beds planted with tall, fragrant, or thorny plants. Barberries, roses, euphorbia, Joe Pye weed, and bamboo are just a few rugged, yet beautiful plants dogs prefer to walk around rather than through.
Try Container Gardening
If all else fails, plant your favorite flowers and vegetables in containers. Most plants do well in large pots or planters, and they'll be less likely to be trampled by pounding paws. Here, a beautiful assortment of summer bulbs bloom in safety from the owner's sheltie.
Know Your Breed
Dogs have strong natural instincts you should be aware of before you turn them loose in your backyard. Terriers, such as Airedale, love to dig and if left unattended, can eventually turn your garden upside down. Be sure to give them lots of exercise and toys to chew on to keep excavation to a minimum.
Care for the Elderly
As dogs age, their hearing or sight may decline, or they may have difficulty getting around. If you have an older dog, be willing to help it up and down steps and be alert to prevent accidental falls into swimming pools or wandering behind cars. This older basset hound occasionally requires a lift up the garden steps.
Elderly dogs can suffer when temperatures soar. If your older dog is with you in the garden, be sure to provide a shady place for it to relax.
Include Your Dog
Dogs are pack animals and don't enjoy being kept in another part of your house or yard when visitors arrive. So make sure your dog is well trained and invited to all family functions.
Never feed your dog from the table. It will encourage begging, which can be annoying.
Introduce Children
Dogs and kids are a great combination, but if your dog isn't used to being around children it could become fearful. So find some kids in your neighborhood or at the dog park and let your dog spend some time with them. Socialize your dog as much as possible so it maintains good manners around any visitor, young or old.
Have Fun
And finally, enjoy your dog and don't get too upset when pots are knocked over, or a plant killed. Remember, plants grow back, but your relationship with your dog can be a lot more rewarding. In this garden, for example, the owners allow their Jack Russell terrier to dive into their water garden in an attempt to catch koi. The koi aren't bothered, the dog enjoys herself, and the owners get to laugh at her antics.
Many of us share our garden spaces with our pets, and there are several things we can do to make the space more enjoyable for ourselves and our pets while creating less work or problems for ourselves in the process.
Dogs are usually the main pet that use our yards, although some people do have cats, rabbits or even chickens in the backyard. Cats, rabbits and chickens are sometimes free roaming in the yard, but in most cases, these pets are caged or fenced out of the off-limit areas of the yard, so this article will focus on dogs.
Morgan County resident Leslie Weinsheim completed the Colorado Master
Gardener program and is writing articles for The Fort Morgan Times and
Brush News-Tribune about what she has learned as a public service for
the community.
"Often our dogs use the yard year-round, so they know the area much better than we do. If you are planning any sort of landscaping changes or if you are frustrated by your dog creating issues in your yard, before making any changes first observe your dog and how it interacts with your yard," says Weinsheim.
Does your dog have a favorite place it likes to lie in the sun?
Does your dog dig in certain areas or chew on plants?
Does your dog run back and forth along the fence to bark or play with the dogs or kids on the other side?
Knowing your dog’s habits will aid you in making any changes or modifications to your yard. Some changes can be made to correct a behavior, but we also want our dogs to enjoy the yard.
"Many years ago, I had moved into a new house and needed to landscape the entire backyard, which was quite large. I noticed right away that my three dogs were running along the back fence barking and playing with my new neighbor’s dogs," offers Weinsheim.
"I knew I wanted a large garden space, so that is where I decided to locate a large, raised garden box running the length of the back fence. I also installed a small fence a few feet in front of the garden box so my dogs could not get into my garden area and could no longer get up against the back fence to run and bark," she said.
"I solved two issues in that I got the large garden I wanted, and I wasn’t disturbing my neighbors with barking dogs. My dogs still had the run of the rest of the large backyard, so I felt this was a fair trade-off. "
If your dog has certain places that it really enjoys, like sunbathing spots or hiding places, try not to make changes to those areas, taking away an activity your dog enjoys.
"In my current house, my dog loves to sunbath in the grass, right near the patio, which really helps to compact that grass and it doesn’t look very healthy. In this situation, I am willing to accept that the grass won’t always look good in that area as I don’t want to take away her sunbathing space, " says Weinsheim.
Raised gardens beds can be created to plant your vegetables or flowers and can help to keeps plants safe and dogs out; but remember that dogs love to sunbathe in these raised beds if they can figure out how to get into them, so have a plan to protect new plants in spring.
"Pay attention to the landscaping materials present in your yard. For example, metal edging is dangerous to your dog as it can cut paws or legs and it can be dangerous to kids playing in the yard, as well. I found out the hard way that the less expensive price I paid for metal edging ended up costing me more in the long run paying for veterinarian and doctor visits," she writes.
"Rock mulch for edging areas in the yard can also be somewhat dangerous to pets and kids as it can have sharp edges, depending upon the type of rock. In this case, wood mulch may work better and is often better for the breathability of your soil; however, some mulch products are toxic to pets, so be sure to research before purchasing. "
There are many plants in your yard that are poisonous or toxic to dogs. A small list includes: Peonies, Crocus, Chrysanthemum, Daffodils (the bulbs), Tulips (the bulbs), Foxglove, Chokecherry, Boxwood, Yew, Cardinal Flower, Sweet Pea, Tomato leaves and many houseplants. The list is extensive, so do some research before planting if your dog likes to chew on or eat plants.
Also, certain trees, like Black Walnut and Buckeye, and some fruit trees have leaves and seeds that can also be toxic to animals. If you compost, make sure the compost pile is off limits to dogs as there can be many foods that end up in the compost bin that are toxic. If your dog does ingest anything you suspect is poisonous or toxic, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center 24-hour Emergency Hotline at 888-426-4435.
You can try protecting your plants from dogs that like chewing on them by using pepper spray made with jalapeno or cayenne and mixed with water. Spraying this on plants will not hurt the plant or your dog, and it may be all that is needed to make your dog choose their own toys to chew on instead.
Dogs also love to chew on your sprinkler parts because they really don’t know the difference between their toys or some object sticking up out of the ground. For bubblers in rock or mulch areas, you can try covering with chicken wire or burying the emitters under the rock or mulch.
Urine spots in your lawn are caused by your dog squatting (whether male or female) and depositing a large amount of urine, which contains a large amount of nitrogen, into the grass. Unfortunately, there aren’t many remedies for this problem. A few include creating a dog run with mulch or gravel, or you can just resign yourself to reseeding or resodding each spring to fix these patches.
Personally, as far as my poor dog "Whiskey," and my accidental poisoning, when the local Vet took a look at her, she seemed to be 'no worse for the wear.' In fact, though I no longer buy them or grow them, when grapes are around, I still have to keep a watchful eye out, as she seems to have acquired a taste, and possibly shows signs of being influenced by "Grip of the Grape."
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