Pet owner's warning over poisonous plants
The owner of a dog poisoned by a plant has warned others of the dangers that could be lurking in their gardens.
Nealy Smith said after being pricked by a yucca plant her dog fell seriously ill and when she raced him to the vet, she was told he was suffering from an infection caused by a toxic poisonous shock.
In a post to Facebook on October 25, Ms Smith said vets have since been fighting the infection with the aim of saving his testicles, where he had been unfortunately impaled by the yucca frond.
“Every second day I have been at the vets hoping to save our boy as well as his manhood. He is on the highest form of medication and (the vet is) scanning his testicles every second day to make sure the blood flow is ok,” she wrote.
“The cells at this stage are good and with much luck, he will make a full recovery.”
Ms Smith said while having the testicles surgically removed may seem a simple solution, the vet had informed her that operating on her dog in its current state could cause him to bleed to death.
She warned others of how they would be able tell if their dog had been poisoned by something similar.
“First signs of poisoning is vomiting, the runs (loose stool), dehydration and lethargic followed by high temps, weakness, drooling, muscle tremors and seizures,” she wrote.
Vet weighs in on dangers of yucca plants
Sydney vet Dr Leigh Davidson, director of yourvetonline.com said it's unusual for a dog to suffer a yucca plant prick in that region, but such a prick can cause a nasty infection.
She said vets typically see more mild reactions to the plant usually from ingestion rather than pricks.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened, but any prick can cause infection such as this. Many plants are poisonous and it is worthwhile doing your research as most symptoms are very mild,” Dr Davidson told Yahoo News Australia.
“The types of issues vets see include gastrointestinal upsets, allergy and tremors. If in doubt whether a plant is poisonous it’s always wise to check with your vet.”
She added that a yucca plant could cause gastro-intestinal upsets if eaten, like many other plants, so it was important dog owners kept an eye on what was at an edible height for their animals.
Warnings over toxic plant allergies
While Ms Smith is hopeful her dog would make a full recovery given he had responded well to treatment, the woman was concerned many people were not educated on plants poisonous to canines.
“Many sites will only tell you about the effects of a canine eating the plant and how toxic it is to canines, cats and horses. Humans can have an allergic reaction to the plant too,” she wrote.
“The articles do not tell you how toxic and how quick the poisoning travels through blood stream when being cut or deeply pricked by one.”
The woman also shared photos of her dog and the plant responsible for his suffering.
More information about the main plants poisonous for dogs is available here.
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