LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As summer approaches, many of us are spending more and more time outside, often with our pets. One dog owner is warning others about a hidden danger to pets that may be lurking in your own backyard.
Kailyn Vatindal is a proud puppy mama, but she has a dark and cautionary tale to share after the unimaginable happened to her dogs. It all started on a normal day.
“They were completely healthy the day before, we were out playing in the yard, running like we normally do nothing abnormal,” she said.
Then, she noticed that something was wrong. One of her dogs, Daisy started getting sick in the early morning hours. Thinking that it was just an upset stomach, Vatindal said that she would take her to the vet the next day. Then, her other dog Pearl became sick as well.
She took both dogs to the emergency clinic and while Pearl pulled through after a 2-day stay and a lot of fluids, Daisy never made it back home.
The culprit? A beautiful, yet deadly wildflower – hemlock.
“It was a plant you don’t really see that…it’s literally in our backyard,” Vatindal said.
The plant seems unassuming, but hemlock is considered one of the most poisonous plants in North America. Dr. Samuel Vaughn with the Veterinary Associates of Stonefield, says that animals that ingest hemlock only have a 20 to 30 percent chance of survival.
“A lot of times they just collapse. They just collapse, and you don’t get them back,” he said.
While Vatindal is crushed by the loss of Daisy, she is grateful that she still has Pearl. She’s using her experience to warn other pet owners about what dangerous plants could be hiding in their own backyard.
“If we hadn’t acted quickly, we would have lost her, too, and most people don’t even think about it. It’s just like, ‘Okay, maybe she just ate something she wasn’t supposed to and she did, but it literally poisoned her and shut down her entire body system,” she said.
Hemlock is not the only plant that animal owners should be wary of. The following plants are also poisonous to pets:
- Azalea
- Crocus
- Cyclamen
- Daffodil
- Dieffenbachia
- Hyacinth
- Kalanchoe
- Lily
- Lilly of the valley
- Oleander
- Sago palm
- Tulip
If you believe that your pet has ingested any of these plants, take them to the vet immediately. Thankfully, Vatindal says that Pearl is expected to make a full recovery.
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