Can you have a nice lawn and can dogs and plants co-exist in your landscape? Find out in our Dogscaping episode!
Owning a pet and having a garden kind of go hand-in-hand – after all, both are home-based pursuits, and especially if you have a dog, they’re going to need to go outside and you might as well make the space more enjoyable for you both. But there are many concerns: the damage dogs can cause to plants just as they go about their daily business, never mind what can happen if you have a puppy or naturally curious dog who wants to sniff, nibble, or just plain scarf your plants. But it is possible to coexist happily, and safely, and that’s what this episode is dedicated to.
If there’s one thing that we want pet owners (and parents of human children, for that matter) to know, it’s how to find reliable, trustworthy information on whether a plant is toxic, and if it is, which parts are toxic and what effect they may have. The best way to find out if a plant is toxic is this: search for it by its scientific name, add the words “toxic,” and “dogs,” and at the end, type in these words: site:.edu. So, for example, a search to find out if today’s plant on trial is toxic would look liked this:
abelia toxic dogs site:.edu
The .edu limits your search results to just university websites, so they will come from veterinary programs. Not only do such results give you more confidence in their information, they include much more information about which parts of the plant may be toxic, the severity of any toxicity, and what organs may be affected and in what ways. Having this information if you suspect or witness your pet eating a plant can make a huge difference in getting proper treatment if your pet nibbles a plant.
Overall, however, it’s best to assume all plants are toxic and to discourage your pets from eating anything in the garden. Further, be careful to clean up sticks, branchlets, and leaves that you have pruned off – many dogs love to play with sticks, and it may be dangerous if the stick comes from a toxic plant, like a yew.
Join us on your favorite podcast platform or at the YouTube link above to hear our whole conversation on making a dog-friendly garden and yard.