Protect Your Pets from Yard and Garden Hazards

By Cindy Murray

My husband, Hugh, and I recently welcomed a marvelous four-year-old heeler-mix dog into our home. Sadie Belle’s affectionate and playful nature, along with her soulful eyes, have melted our hearts, and now we can’t imagine life without her.

However, about two months ago we nearly lost her. She ate two grapes, and if I hadn’t recalled how our grandchildren’s dog had nearly died from eating raisins, we would never have known grapes are highly toxic to dogs. We didn’t wait for Sadie to show symptoms; we took her to our veterinarian’s office immediately. They treated her promptly, which necessitated intravenous fluids and medication, along with an overnight stay. Poor Sadie’s unfortunate event has prompted me to inform our readers of certain hazards pets may encounter in their own backyards.

Onions and their close relatives, including chives, shallots, leeks, and garlic, are highly toxic to pets, because they contain compounds that cause canine and feline red blood cells to burst. Like grape poisoning, time is of the essence, so don’t delay calling a veterinary clinic if you suspect your pet has ingested onions or related plants.

Many other bulb-producing plants are poisonous as well:  tulips, hyacinth, amaryllis, daffodils, and more. Also be aware that bulbs planted with bone meal amendment may be enticing to Fido. While lily-of-the-valley, iris, and Autumn crocus plants don’t grow from true bulbs, they too are toxic to dogs and cats. And according to the ASPCA, daylilies are extremely toxic to cats, but non-toxic to dogs.

Cats and dogs may be poisoned after chewing and consuming cherry, plum, peach, apricot, and nectarine pits, because their seeds contain a compound that, when crushed and metabolized, becomes cyanide. And be mindful that many fruit tree leaves and stems contain the same hazardous compound. Even whole pits can be dangerous, as they may cause injury or obstruction to an animal’s esophagus and digestive tract.

Always remove any wild mushrooms popping up on your property, as it’s difficult to distinguish poisonous ones from harmless ones. And bear in mind that certain landscaping barks contain cocoa, which may cause issues.

The severity of some toxins depends on the type, the amount, and the parts of the plant consumed, along with the size of your pet and its state of health.

Northern Arizona has its fair share of grasses and weeds whose seeds are needle-like. This may not sound like a serious hazard, but these awns or bristles can bore their way into an animal’s paws, ears, mouth, eyes, nose, and under fur, leading to abscesses and/or infection. They can be life-threatening if they migrate to internal organs.

Purple three-awn is a lovely native low-growing grass, but its awns may pierce into your pet's skin. Photo by Cindy Murray.

One of these grasses is purple three-awn, a lovely purplish bunch grass native to our region. We have some in various places around our property, so we’ll certainly keep it mowed before it goes to seed to protect our Sadie.

Another grass culprit is cheat grass, which is invasive and ubiquitous in Northern Arizona and the intermountain west. We don’t allow cheatgrass anywhere on our property, not only because of its penetrating awns, but also its high flammability.

Foxtail barley wields sharp awns, which, when dried, are potentially dangerous to your pet.  Photo by Cindy Murray.

Although native foxtail barley displays attractive green, pink, or tan soft-appearing seedheads, it wields sharp, potentially dangerous awns. It is an early spring bunchgrass that grows to one or two feet. A similar grass, squirreltail, also bears harmful awns, but this native’s seedhead is upright or slightly bent, while foxtail barley’s seed head bends and nods.

Filaree is often called Heron's bill or storksbill. Its mature seeds can bore under your pet's fur, leading to irritation and possibly infection. Photo by Cindy Murray.

Lastly, an invasive annual weed called filaree or heron’s bill grows nearly prostrate with miniscule fernlike leaves. Its tiny, pinkish violet flowers develop diminutive seed pods that look like heron’s beaks. As the seeds dry, they twist into a sharpened coil that can pierce your pet’s skin.

Undoubtedly, these are not all the hazards your pet may encounter in your backyard. Going forward, Hugh and I will be watchful for any symptoms of poisoning of our pooch such as lethargy, excessive drooling, gastrointestinal upset, unsteadiness, excessive thirst, or any other abnormalities. Additionally, when Sadie appears to be bothered by a skin irritation, we’ll be certain to inspect the troublesome area.  It is my hope that the information in this article will help you protect your pets, as well.

For more information consult:

ASPCA animal poison control center: 888 426 4435 (For emergencies day & night)

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Cindy Murray, University of Arizona Master Gardener, has been a writing and editing contributor for “Gardening Etc.” for over a decade. She delves into subjects ranging from growing vegetables to native landscaping, together with the life cycles of birds and insects encountered therein. Gardening Etcetera is written for the community by certified Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona's Coconino County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. To learn more visit https://extension.arizona.edu/programs/coconino-county-master-gardener