Poisonous Shrubs

When in doubt about a plant yank them out.

I'll just add that when RV'ing you also need to know about the indigenous poisonous plants IN the states you are traveling in are.

The first time I parked in Florida my dogs all started foaming at the mouth when I put them outside......I was parked next to a full hedgerow of what I thought were real pretty flowers that are VERY common landscaping plant.

Sadly these landscaping plants are also quite often found in CG's! :R

OLEANDER
Description: A frequently planted landscape shrub with lance-shaped leaves up to 10 inches long. Flowers are pink, red or white in terminal clusters.

Toxic portion: All parts, extremely toxic. Symptoms: Contact may cause a rash; if eaten, causes nausea, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, unconsciousness and death.

Another 'highly toxic' shrub common in Florida is the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow flowering shrub.

And not to forget how I almost lost 3 dogs last year to a Black Cherry Tree. How my poor dogs have survived me traveling to Florida is nothing short of a miracle.

Wow, poor doggie! I am glad she is ok, but sympathetic about the vet bills.

Before removing shrubs, I would probably try spraying them with cayenne pepper or something similar. It keeps the squirrels out of the peaches!

otis-agnes wrote:
4aSong, I hope your pup is OK. Scary stuff. Otis removed the azaleas today. They seem to be leaving the rhododendron alone, so we'll keep that one for now. Thanks everyone. Agnes

In my previous post I neglected to note the most important thing, our dog (Shilo) is back to her normal self, frisky and loving as always. It is something I don't look forward to having occur again as the vet bill nearly cost a remortgage of the house. :B

4aSong, I hope your pup is OK. Scary stuff. Otis removed the azaleas today. They seem to be leaving the rhododendron alone, so we'll keep that one for now. Thanks everyone. Agnes

We just encountered this with our dog chewing on a shrub called Mockorange. We ended up taking our dog into the Vet after noticing Her vomiting blood. After prescribing three different medications and other things performed in there office she was sent home. The Vet had us watch her close for the next three days and the vet called daily to check on Her progress.
She did not actually chew the bark of the shrub but there were pods dropped onto the patio that she picked up in her mouth and we suspected this to be the cause. Since this experience all poisonous shrubs have or are currently scheduled for removal.

Just our experience and thought we would share it since it was mentioned on this forum.

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/rhododendrons/

Apparently they could be dangerous but some are worse than others. You may want to remove them to be safe.

Yes, they are according to an ASPCA list. Not sure if they have to physically ingest the plant or not.