It is often when summer is here that one decides on to adopt a puppy and with summer arrives all these colours, all these smells, all these flowers, but take care it can be dangerous for our Cotons. Our gardens are a place privileged to rest and to delight where we like planting flowers and shrubs for our pleasure, but some plants are as well very dangerous for the man as for the animals. The adult dog is rarely a victim of the poison of these beautiful plants, but the puppy as the child is curious and more sensitive, chewing and swallowing everything as he(she) goes by and can be a victim of these plants which poisons can concentrate in fruits, flowers, sheets, bark, roots or bulbs.

The same for house plants...

It is rare that poisoning goes to the death, the taste bitter plants limiting swallowed quantities. Furthermore, vomits or diarrheas favor the eviction of toxin, but if elimination is delayed, poisoning can be more serious. Symptoms and hurts are varied according to absorbed quantities, digestive problems are dominant in minor poisonings, and often nervous and cardiovascular in the first signs of grave poisonings.

After you identificate the plant and the part responsible of the poisonning, it is necessary to set up a therapy aiming to cure and to save the animal. There are specific antidotes of the toxin only when they are alcaloïdes and where one will then be able to administer oraly tannin or activated charcoal in suspension in some water .

-In the case of an irritating toxin, the rinsing of the mouth with the sodium gluconate has to last at least 2 hours,
-If the eye received a projection of toxic and irritating matter, it is necessary to wash him(it) in the tepid and water, repeated 4 in 5 times a day. One will also be able to instil an eye drops anesthésique.

• Using emetics and stomach pumped must be done less than 2 hours after the merger of the toxin
• In the case of an irritating toxin, rinse the mouth with sodium gluconate during at less 2 hours.
• If the eye received a projection of toxic and irritating matter, it is necessary to wash it plentifuly with tepid water, repeated 4 in 5 times a day. One will also be able to drip an anaesthetic eye lotion.

Minor poisoning (plant or little toxic part, absorbed in small quantity or fast elimination, healthy animal, etc.) knows generally a good evolution, but, after ingesting an important dose of a very toxic plant, the treatment is often disappointing. Therefore do not hesitate to consult your florist or your veterinarian before buying a plant which you do not know.

In everything cases, never act by yourself and always consult your veterinarian before any manipulation which could be fatal to your companion.

To develop subject on each of the dangerous plants would ask for a lot of time and pages, furthermore I advise you against treating your dog yourself, because only the veterinarian is capable of correctly treating him. Here is so a list of plants of our gardens being at stake which will help you better to pay attention to protect your companion:

• Monkshood, aconit - Aconitum Napellus (plant and roots very toxic),
• Pheasant’s eye- Adonis Vernalis (very toxic),
• Amaryllis - Amaryllis Belladonna ( bulb),
• Columbine - Aquilegia Vulgaris, (sap urticaria),
• Arum - Arum Maculatum (all the parts, irritation of the skin and mucous membrane, symptomatic treatment),
• Belladone - Atropa Belladona (very toxic),
• Bryony - Bryonia Dioica ( emetic),
• Box tree - Buctus Sempervirens (all the parts, leaves and the bark of the root are most active, drastic laxative, a weak dose can kill a dog (0.8 g of buxidine),
• Bleeding heart - Dicentra Spectabilis (irritate eyes and mucous membrane),
• Autumn crocus - Colchicum Autumnale (all the parts, more concentrated in seeds, don't give laxative),
• Poppy - Papaver Rhoeas (all the parts, very violent laxative with stomach pains, vomits, sanguinolent diarrheas),
• Cytisus Laburnum - Laburnum Vulgare (dangerous flowers; vomits, coma),
• Jimsonweed - Datura Stramonium (narcotic, hallucinogen),
• Digital amarilla and Foxglove red - Digitalis Lutea and Digitallis Purpurea (very toxic, the sheet is the most toxic part, the poison accumulates in the body even after stoping of the absorbtion so pronostic is always cautious, the injection of salts of calcium is formally dissuaded),
• Broom - Sarothamus Scoparius (the flower can provoke stomach pains),
• Christmas rose and Pasque flower - Helleborus Niger and Anemone Pulstilla (all the parts, violent laxative, digestive, cardiac and nervous symptoms, only symptomatic treatment),
  - Yew - Taxus Baccata (almost all the parts: often mortal fast poisoning, more frequent in winter, young shoots summer being less toxic),
  
• Cherry laurel - Prunus Laurocerasus (sheets, more toxic the summer, very fast poisoning, the animal can die struck or very fast),
• Oleander - Nerium Oleander (all the parts, 1mg / kg of the toxin contained in the sheet is mortal for the dog, symptomatic treatment, avoid the injections of calcium),
• Lupine - Lupinus (very dangerous seeds; necrosis of the liver),
• Lily of the valley - Convallaria Majalis (very toxic, symptomatic treatment, coal, atropine sulfate to fight against the bradycardia, 4 extract lily of the valley gouts given with venous way kills a dog in 10 mn),
• Pond lily - Nymphea Alba (roots; light narcotic, anaphrodisiac),
• Periwinkle - Vinca Minor ( light toxin),
• Larkspurs or Delphinium - Delphinium Consolida (very toxic),
• Peony - Peonia Officinalis ( violent laxative),
• Buttercup - Renonculus Bulbosus (toxin, even more in blossoming, rarely fatal but ingested in high dose the animal can become blind),
• Rhododendron - Rhododendron Hirsutum (all the parts, ingest a big dose the death arises by paralysis respiratory).

For the well being of your puppy, bound the ground where you want that he goes without being able to have access to the dangerous plants until he grows and that he is less an adventurer, or keep an eye on him if you can not ; do not forget that it is better to warn that be cured.

We hope that you will know how to remain watchful with your animals and let us wish you long and happy years of happiness with them.

L. Vincent in collaboration with Dr J. Bonvoisin