Poisonous Plants

It was brought to my attention this morning that a long time associate of Poooh Busters recently had an incident where they almost lost their dog to a poisonous plant called the Sago Palm.

Trish Way of Pooches in the Park Pet Care and her dog Gracie had a frightful time recovering from the effects of Gracie's affinity to eating this particular plant. The biggest worry of all is that this plant is available from your local Walmart or Home Depot and there is no warning about the dangers of this plant to pets and humans!

Of course we are all responsible for making sure our pets don't eat things that can harm them but a warning or something might have made the difference here. To be safe, just don't allow your pets to any household plants.

Some general info on the Sago Palm:

Cycad Sago Palm is extremely poisonous to both humans and ani

mals if ingested. Pets are at particular risk since they seem to find the plant very palatable.

• Clinical symptoms of ingestion will develop within 12 hours and may include vomiting, diarrhoea,weakness, seizures, liver failure, or hepatotoxicity characterized by icterus, cirrhosis, and ascites. The pet may appear bruised, have nose bleeds (epistaxis), melena (blood in the stool), hematochezia (bloody straining), and hemarthrosis (blood in the joints).
• The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center estimates a fatality rate of 50 to 75 percent when ingestion of the Sago Palm is involved. The incidence of Sago Palm ingestion by pets has risen by over 200% in the last five years.
• If any quantity of the plant is ingested, a poison control center or doctor should be contacted immediately. Effects of ingestion can include permanent internal damage and death. All parts of the plant are toxic; however, the seeds contain the highest level of the toxin cycasin. Cycasin causes gastrointestinal irritation, and in high enough doses, leads to liver failure.
• Other toxins include Beta-methylamino L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid, and an unidentified toxin which has been observed to cause hindlimb paralysis in cattle.

At present Gracie is at home and resting. She is still wretching every now and then. The vet has put her on some drugs and she is quite "out of it". Tomorrow she will go back to see the clinic and they will monitor her all day to se if she requires more IV fluids. She just has to make it through the next 48 hours and then she should be in the clear and will pull through without too much permanent damage.

Our thoughts are with you Trish in this difficult and trying time. We wish Gracie all the best and a very speedy recovery!