Mike’s Doghouse

Since Mike will eat anything within his reach outdoors, and since Spring is right around the corner, I decided it was time to brush up on what plants were poisonous to dogs. Plus, Lorna got me a pot of yellow tulips that I put outside today (the poor things were leaning way over trying to reach the sunny window) and the petals all blew off. Which, of course, Mike picked up and tried to eat.

According to the Humane Society of United States (HSUS) and their Common Poisonous Plant list, the poisonous part of a tulip is the bulb. It is also the poisonous part of the narcissus/daffodil. According to the ASPCA and their searchable list, all parts of a tulip are toxic with the bulbs having the heaviest concentration of the toxin. He also eats walnut hulls (not toxic to dogs) he finds out in the dog lot. He loves fruits, including apples (the seeds and stems are toxic to dogs) and bananas (not toxic to dogs).

I already know to not let him near my Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) vine. Every part of it is deadly poison to dogs and to children. It is still in its pot near the ramp, waiting to be planted as soon as the ground thaws enough. We’ll be putting it away from the usual dog places. It is an evergreen so there’s little risk of dead leaves being blown around.

Linkages:

HSUS Common Poisonous Plants list
ASPCA’s Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants (searchable!) – also their “people foods that are toxic to dogs” list
Toxic Plants to Dogs list (Pet Poison Helpline site)