Common Garden Poisons

Published on Thursday, December 15, 2011

It is not well known that many common garden plants in the UK are poisonous to pets (and humans!). Some of the most common types of poisonous garden plants include bluebells, buttercups, daffodils, foxgloves, snowdrops, stinging nettles and autumn crocus. It can be very difficult to keep your pets away from your plants, especially in the case of cats. Unless you have eyes in the back of your head of course!

Rat poison:

Perhaps the number one concern for cat and dog owners is rat poison; a mixture of anticoagulants, metal phosphides and calciferols which are used to control rodent numbers. Whether eaten straight from the ground or trap or via a dead, poisoned rodent; rat poison can be deadly. I have first-hand experience of a dog eating rat poison and it wasn’t fun, in fact he nearly didn’t make it. The poor thing was in hospital for a while, had injections and we were sent home with tablets and crossed-fingers. Thankfully he made it, but it has left me concerned for the future. What if he eats it again? The use of rat poison is wide spread in both residential and commercial areas and the strength of these poisons is increasing due to growing resistance in the rodent population.

Slug pellets:

The dangers of slug pellets are along the same lines of rat poison. If eaten in even small quantities, slug pellets can cause distress and even death in pets. Most pellets are made from metaldehyde and/or methiocarb which in themselves are not very attractive to slug (and who can blame them!), so are mixed with cereal to make them more palatable. Unfortunately, this process also makes them more attractive to our pets and garden birds. Some companies have tried to make slug pellets less attractive to pets by adding a bittering agent, and less attractive to birds by making them blue, but this is far from an exact science.

How to keep your pets safe:

The best way to keep your pets safe from these poisons is to closely monitor their activities while they are in the garden, and to control their movements as best you can when you are not in sight. You can do this easily by installing our Pet Screen for windows and doors that will allow you to leave windows and doors open to let air circulate, without the worry of your pet accessing the garden and picking up something nasty. Check out our range of excellent quality Pet Screens here.

Of course it goes without saying that if you think that your pet has been poisoned take them straight to the veterinary surgery along with the packaging or name of whatever you suspect has poisoned them (if known). Time is of the essence here! Take a look below for some useful links to safe alternatives to toxic pest control…

Check out this site for humane and safe rodent traps. 

Follow this link to pet and child safe slug pellets.