Spring is upon us, and while it brings some beautiful sights, it also can bring many dangers for your pets.

Flowers and plants can be a temptation for pets.  Animals love to explore and try new things, and they often do so by tasting, licking, chewing, or rolling around in them. Many of the beautiful plants we love to enjoy can be harmful to dogs. If eaten they can be toxic and cause mild to very serious symptoms.  Identifying dangerous things in your garden and in the outdoors, will allow you to avoid any potentially harmful situations for your dog.

There are several items and plants that you should be aware of that are very dangerous for dogs.

Mulch Products

There is no way to know exactly the amount of toxins in mulch because it varies from each product. Most of them have very low amounts and are not as dangerous. There are those that do have a higher amounts of toxins and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, seizures and in extreme cases, death. It is best to just keep you dogs a safe distance away and to watch them when they are around mulch.

Fertilizers, Soil Additives and Pesticides

Fertilizers are usually save for pets, but there are those that contain blood meal, bone meal, feather meal and iron,  and are dangerous to dogs. If too much of this is consumed it can obstruct the gastrointestinal tract and cause pancreatitis. If your dog gets into any pesticides or insecticides, especially if they contain organophosphates                                                                                                               can be life-threatening. It is very  important to keep bags of fertilizer  in locked sheds, and never left out.

Slug and Snail Baits

These come in many different forms such as pellets, granular, powder and liquids. Slug and snail baits contain the active ingredient metaldehyde, which is very poisonous. If eaten, metaldehyde will start to show signs of distress within one to two hours in your dog, including salivation, restlessness, vomiting, tremors, seizures, and life-threateningly high body temperature. If you do not seek veterinary attention right away your dog can suffer from these symptoms for day and it could even be fatal.

Compost

Compost can be toxic to pets. As the organic matter decomposes, it is common for molds to grow, some of which will produce hazardous tremorgenic mycotoxins.If this is eaten by an dog, moldy food or compost ingestion can result in sickness and physical distress. If your dog show any of these symptoms and you feel they may have gotten into some compost get to your vet as soon as possible.  Symptoms include agitation, panting, drooling, vomiting, tremors and seizures.  

Flowers and Plants

Some of the most dangerous threats to pets in the yard are flowers and plants.Flowers and plants such as

Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths,Sago Palm,Lily of the Valley, and Crocuses are poisonous to dogs.

If you think a pet may have ingested something harmful, take action immediately, and contact your veterinarian.

So before you head outside inspect your yard, or areas you take your dog to, for plants that can be harmful to them.                      

You can reference the ASPCA for a complete list of plants poisonous to dogs: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/.

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