Maybe this article should have been called “Yard Etiquette for Your Dog.” This article is about what dogs do in the garden! No one knows exactly why “a dog eats plants” and everything else that smells and tastes good. Maybe it’s for fun, you can’t resist something that smells or tastes good or even boring, but it will always be the destruction of your most precious plants invariably! However, there are things in your yard that can kill your beloved dog that they seem to be attracted to. Wandering Jew, ground cover, is an example. If your dog eats Wandering Jew, it can make your dog sick. Eat enough of this and you could kill your dog. Other toxic plants that are harmful to your dog are Hippeastrum bulbs, rhubarb leaves, Jasmine, Lantana to name a few but there are others. Some symptoms to watch out for may be nausea, shortness of breath, weakness, restlessness, and seizures. In any case, if you think your dog has ingested a toxic plant, take it to the vet immediately.

Mulch, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides may be another thing your dog loves to eat in your yard. Eating fresh blood, bone fertilizer, and chicken manure will attract your dog, but in most cases it will be harmless. Dogs are exposed by digging in your yard, chewing on pellets, and sniffing around right after insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides have been applied. It goes without saying that keep all of these well stored out of the reach of pets and children. Veterinarians see cases every year of dogs that have eaten snail pellets and the treatment is not pleasant, so be careful.

One of our favorite indulgences, chocolate can be fatal for your dog. That’s why Cocoa Mulch can be lethal to dogs (and cats) if it contains an ingredient called ‘Obromine’. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. If they ingest this mulch, it can again be fatal.

However, it is okay for your dog to eat pecan grass and other long blades of grass to aid digestion or to help with vomiting. It’s their natural way of dealing with an upset stomach.

No matter how well fed your dog is, be careful, puppies, bitzers and purebreds can’t tell a good smell or toxic taste while digging in the garden.

So keep your dog safe and away from toxic plants in your garden.