Monday, November 3, 2008

This Plant Will Kill Your Dog (And Maybe Your Kids)

I got this email from a friend.. with an article about this plant.. Check it out!Beware, you may have this plant at home ...
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We were letting our dog play outside all day Sunday and upon checking
on him found that he had yanked a small houseplant off of the deck and
was chewing on the root of it. He chews on all kinds of plants in the
yard and I thought of tossing it over the fence but figured he would
just try to dig under to get it so unfortunately I let him keep it. A
couple hours later we let him in the house and he's foaming yellow
froth, drooling, and shaking. 20 minutes later we are in the emergency
vet and are told the prognosis is not good and he'll likely die.Leaves and male cone of Cycas revolute female reproductive structureThe plant is called a Sago Palm and its highly poisonous to both pets
and humans. A chemical in the plant called cycasin is toxic and often
causes permanent liver damage as well as neurological damage if enough
of the poison is absorbed by the body. The seeds are the most
poisonous part of the plant and the effects on humans are seizures,
coma and death.Of course you and I wouldn't just yank off a chunk of this plant and
gnaw on it but the seeds are colorful so if you have kids and Sago
palm in your yard educate them on the danger or get rid of the plant.
Fortunately our dog was one of the lucky ones. I later discovered that
our dog vomited the plant in the yard soon after swallowing it, and
after 2 days in the vet on IV, and having a ball of charcoal inserted
in his stomach, a test revealed that his liver was recovering and he
came home. Sadly few people are aware of how dangerous this plant,
many have lost their dogs, and even many veterinarians are unaware.
This plant doesn't carry a warning label and is becoming popular in
Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot so spread the word. P/S: OMG, I have one at home.. what should I do about it?

2 comments:

emm emm said...

got plant but no dog no kids. workable combination, niko ?

NIKO75 said...

workable.. but still needs to be extra careful with it..
ur 9 and 10 yo are still considered kids what?