A dog mom in Australia is warning other dog parents after her puppy sadly died from eating a common garden plant.
Katrina Dawson, from Queensland, left her dogs Margot and Hazel playing in their backyard, but when she checked up on them Margot appeared unwell. She quickly got worse, vomiting and becoming tired, so Dawson took the pup to the vet.
She found that Margot had eaten a sago palm plant, and remained unwell for a week, complete with frequent trips to the vet, until she unfortunately died.
Urging Friends To Remove Them
Sago palm plants are extremely toxic, and can severely poison and kill dogs. However, Dawson had no idea.
“I don’t think a lot of people know anything about it, I certainly didn’t,” she told 7News. “I didn’t realize how bad this particular plant is and we have four of them in our fenced-in yard. That’s what got me.”
After losing Margot, the Dawsons have ripped out all of the sago palm plants in their yard, and have warned friends too. “I want other people to be aware, when you’re buying these plants, you need to know what’s in your garden,” she said.
Margot had only been with the family for a month – they decided to get another pup as a friend for Hazel.
Keeping Your Pet Safe From Sago Palm Plants
In 2021, the ASPCA said that they’d seen a massive increase in cases of pets consuming or ingesting the sago palm plant. In the US, it’s found across the country but is more prevalent in the Southern states.
Up to half of cases are fatal, but you can boost your pet’s chances of survival by getting treatment fast.
Signs to watch out for include vomiting, jaundice, bruising, bloody stools, and increased thirst. Consuming the plant can also lead to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, blood clotting, liver damage and failure, and ultimately death. The whole plant is toxic, so it’s best not to have them around at all if you have pets.
A related plant, the cardboard palm, is also toxic. It’s found in gardening stores, but is best avoided if you have pets – it just might save their life.
