Applegater Fall 2016
9
DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL
Just look—don’t touch!
BY SIOUX ROGERS
Watch out for beautiful flowers
and plants! Did you know that there are
many plants poisonous to either humans
or animals, or both? The following is a
skimpy list of plants whose toxicity can
cause a mild skin rash or lead to death.
Hydrangea
What would San Francisco be
without hydrangeas? Who would ever
have thought that this fantastic flowering
bush could actually harm my little
bow-wow or mew-mew? If one of those
sweet little pets had a nibble on a leaf,
watch out for diarrhea and vomiting and
even lethargy. The leaves and flowers of
hydrangeas are especially toxic.
Clematis
I can’t believe that my most revered
vine could cause harm. Although it is
mildly toxic, it is nonetheless considered
a poison. If the beautiful clematis touches
your skin, you may experience a mild to
moderate rash with some burning. Hint:
wear gloves when pruning.
Luckily, the plant tastes so yucky
that most animals are not tempted to
nibble on it. But if they are very naughty
and curiously hungry, watch out for
drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Oleander
Have you heard the story of the
two hobos who had a hot-dog roast? The
dumb clucks used oleander branches for
roasting skewers. That is why I am telling
their story and not them.
Every tiny little part of the oleander is
extremely poisonous, as well as the smoke
from burning the plant. Symptoms of
poisoning can include dehydration, fever,
slow heartbeat, tremors, and death.
Oleanders contain naturally
occurring poisons, specifically
cardenolides or bufadienolides, that
affect the heart. These poisons are
called cardiac glycoside toxins, and they
interfere directly with the electrolyte
balance within the heart muscle.
Azalea and rhododendron
Both azalea and rhododendron are
poisonous for pets. These colorful flowers
may add color to a
garden, but they are
still pet unfriendly. If
eaten, flowers, leaves
and stems can lead
to nausea, abdominal
pain, and difficulty
breathing.
Both of these
plants contain
grayanotoxins,
which disrupt
s odi u m channe ls
affecting the skeletal
and cardiac muscle.
All parts of the
plant are considered
poisonous, and
ingesting as little
as 0.2 percent of
an animal’s body
weight can result in
poisoning. Symptoms
of poisoning in pets is
drooling, vomiting,
and diarrhea. Your
pet may appear very
uncomfortable and weak. Well, the poor
darling has been poisoned. If that were
not enough, your dear pet can go blind.
Rhubarb
When the first of the big juicy
rhubarb stalks appear, I am searching for
ripe strawberries. One of my favorite pies
is strawberry-rhubarb, although I must
admit that my rhubarb and strawberries
are never ripe at the same time. Sadly,
while rhubarb stalks are a delicacy, the
leaves are rather poisonous.
One of the poisonous culprits in
rhubarb is oxalic acid. During World
War l, British soldiers were incorrectly
advised that the entire rhubarb plant was
nutritional. Sadly, the leaves are quite
high in oxalic acid, which can cause
kidney problems and stomach irritations.
While rhubarb stalks are often used as a
mild laxative and culinary confectionary,
symptoms of toxicity set in within an
hour of eating the leaves and can lead
Clockwise from top left: Hydrangea
(community.saa.co.uk), clematis
(pinterest.com), Easter lily (pinterest.
com), and rhubarb (panteek.com).
to convulsions, internal bleeding, coma,
and even death.
Dumb cane (dieffenbachia)
I wonder if the name “dumb
cane”—also known as dieffenbachia,
the common, easy-to-grow houseplant—
came about because folks were too
ignorant to stop
Sioux Rogers
themselves from
eating it. Dumb cane ranks as one of
the most poisonous plants in the world.
If one of our four-legged friends
(or a human) eats a leaf of a dumb cane,
clinical signs of toxicity might be seen
immediately. Your pet might painfully
paw at its face and start drooling,
foaming, and vomiting. And moderate
to severe swelling of the lips, tongue, oral
cavity, and upper airway would make
breathing and swallowing difficult.
Easter lily
Cats are particularly sensitive to
and easily poisoned by just a little nibble
of the beautiful Easter lily. Death is
usually caused by kidney failure. It is also
poisonous to humans due to the alkaloid
lycorine in the bulbs and stems.
Initial symptoms of poisoning are
abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting,
excessive salivation, and shivering,
followed by kidney failure and death.
Sadly, there is no known specific antidote.
If you’re eager for more information,
visit balconygardenweb.com for a
longer list of poisonous flowers. More
information about pets and poisons can
be found at petpoisonhelpline.com.
Dirty fingernails and all,
Sioux Rogers
541-846-7736
dirtyfingernails@fastmail.fm