Her Dog Died An Hour After Their Walk. What The Vet Told Her? I’m Shocked.
By Timfly
Pet owners beware! One of the most lethal plants can take your dog’s life in a very short time, that plant is water hemlock. A woman took her 3 year old Border Collie at the Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado with her family.
Unfortunately her dog chewed water hemlock and within an hour she was dead. Before passing away, the dog lost all motor function and then died en route to hospital.
Just a few leaves can kill a large dog within 2 hours. Throughout North America, water hemlock can be found in lakes, rivers, streams, or in marshy areas.
The entire plant is poisonous, the most toxic part are the roots; the roots are even toxic when dry. Farmers are frequently monitoring their pastures for water hemlock so their livestock doesn’t eat it.
The plant can grow 3 – 6 feet tall. In June and July, it will bloom with white flowers. The leaves are narrow with serrated edges.
Two plants that commonly get confused with water hemlock are water parsnip and cow parsnip. Symptoms of water hemlock poisoning start to appear within minutes and include seizures, muscle twitching, and drooling.
The dog may seem nervous and have dilated pupils, convulsions will occur soon after followed by respiratory paralysis and death. There would be a chance of recovery if a non-lethal dose were ingested the dog may survive for 4 to 6 hours.
If the dog survives, it will likely have permanent heart or skeletal muscle damage. Call your veterinarian immediately if your dog eats hemlock if you can induce vomiting it is imperative that you do it quickly – the toxins work fast!
Bottom line: Know what water hemlock looks like and keep your dogs away from this dangerous plant! Spread this news to other pet parents, too and we can help save our pets’ lives.
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