Dangerous Plants
Pets Poisoned By Common Plant
Sago Palm Seeds Poisonous For Animals, Babies
POSTED: 11:00 am CST February 8, 2005
UPDATED: 8:32 am CST February 10, 2005
HOUSTON -- Most people would do anything for their pets, so imagine the horror of finding out a common plant found in many yards could endanger your dog, Local 2 reported Wednesday.
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Popular Plants Could Be Dangerous, Deadly For Pets
Sherra Miller has had Yorkshire Terriers for the past 30 years.
"They just steal your heart. She is more independent than any yorkie I have ever had," Miller said of her dog Abbie.
Mitch Rainey had two dachshunds when he took in Sadie.
"It was either that or she'd have been put to sleep someplace," Rainey said.
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.
The 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
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