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By Dominique McKay

As temperatures rise, flowers are springing up and many Lynchburg locals are headed outdoors to enjoy the sunny weather with their pets in tow. Summertime flowers bring aesthetic appeal to many local gardens, but they can also be a source of harmful encounters for many of our furrier counterparts.

Luckily, as pet-owners, we can take a number of steps to keep our pets happy and healthy while also experiencing the beauty of a well-kept garden.

Choosing Plants

When choosing plants from a local garden shop, it is easy to pick the most appealing ones based on color and beauty, but some of the most beautiful vegetation can be the ones to send your pet to the local veterinarian. There are also some plants that can attract your pets and cause them to trample on your garden.

Lee Aylor, owner of Aylor’s Garden Center off of Forest Road, pointed out that some commonly chosen flowers are actually poisonous to animals.

“Geraniums are poisonous,” Aylor said. “Not all animals are necessarily going to eat the plants, but just in case, you just have to be a little cautious.”

Some other frequently encountered flora to keep your pets away from are lilies, tulips, azaleas and oleanders. Ingestion of many of these plants can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, weakness and loss of appetite, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Aylor says his shop sells an herb called catnip, which many cats are drawn to and can be found nibbling on. Aylor suggests not planting the herb in your garden if you have cats and want to keep them away from the plants.

Creating Boundaries

Another great way to protect your pets from harmful toxics that may be in your garden is to set up boundaries. Aylor advises gardeners to put up physical boundaries to keep their pets away from any plants that may be harmful.

“I would suggest a low-lying fence,” he said. “Not all animals are going to present problems in that area, but it would help keep them away.”

Nelson Garner of Gary’s Garden Shop off of Waterlick Road in Lynchburg says that although there are some poisonous plants, many pets have an intuition to keep away from those that may be harmful.

“In general, most all of the plants are pet-friendly and safe,” he said. “Pets and wild animals kind of have their own sense about them. They know what’s harmful to them for the most part and unless they are forced to eat certain plants, they know to stay away from them and leave them alone.”

Choosing Pesticides

As for chemicals, there are many pesticides that Garner says are safe for pets.

“Customers will come in here all the time and ask us, ‘Is it safe for my dog or is it safe for my cat?’” Garner said. “There are a lot of chemicals on the market that are very safe with pets. The main thing we try to enforce is read the label carefully before you purchase.”

Garner says one of the most important things to do that many people forget is to follow the instructions on the labels carefully. Improper use is often times the culprit in creating a harmful environment.

“There is a world of products that are very safe but are used improperly,” he said. “So many people come in and say ‘Well, it said use a tablespoonful but I figure I’d pour a couple ounces in.’ … The mentality that twice as fast is twice as good, and that’s when you run into [the chemicals] being harmful to the environment or harmful to plants and children.”

Checking for Signs

According to the ASPCA, if your pet has encountered a toxic plant, many symptoms will likely be present, include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling, increased heart rate, seizures, muscle twitching, tremors, loss of appetite and dehydration.

Even if your pet is not showing any signs of illness, but you suspect they have encountered a toxic plant, contact your local veterinarian. For a full list of symptoms as well as a full list of harmful and poisonous plants and trees, visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center website at www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control.

Common Plants to Avoid:

Lilies

Tulips

Azaleas

Oleanders

Amaryllis

Chrysanthemums

English Ivy

Peace Lily

Pothos

Geraniums