Colorado Hiking with Your Dog Avoid These 6 Plants

1.  Death Camas

Image by shell_game from Flickr

Where: Sunny meadows, dry rocky slopes and areas
Effects: Ingestion can lead to muscle spasms, low heart rate, stomach pain, vomiting blood, coma and death from the flowers, stem, seeds and leaves
May be mistaken as: wild onion
Interesting fact: Part of the lily family and also known as the poison sego lily.

2. Western Water Hemlock

Image by Ulrike Leone from Pixabay

Where: Wet areas like marshes, riverbanks, swamps, ponds, damp pastures and meadows; flourishes after very wet winters and spring flooding and may grow as tall as 6 feet
Effects: Convulsions, fever, delirium and death from the stem and roots that contain an oily, yellow poisonous juice
May be mistaken as: Queen Anne’s Lace, wild carrot (the carrot-like odor may attract your dog) and other wild edibles
Interesting fact: Water Hemlocks are the most poisonous plants in North America.  According to OutThereColorado.com, “children have even been poisoned using the stems as whistles.”

3. Larkspur

Image by Lolame from Pixabay

Where: Sunny meadows and dry rocky slopes
Effects: Ingestion can lead to vomiting and diarrhea from any part of the plant – especially young plants
Interesting fact: Known as a cattle-killer because cows love to eat it

4. Locoweed

Image by Schiff, Zachary/USFWS from Flickr

Where: Semi-arid foothills and plains
Effects: Ingestion can lead to neurological effects of depression, erratic behavior, extreme nervousness, emaciation and death
Interesting fact: A known hallucinogenic in dogs; also called crazyweed; part of the legume family

5. Lupine

Image by Jarkko Mänty from Pixabay

Where: Sunny mountain meadows
Effects: Ingestion of the poisonous seeds and pods can lead to abdominal distress and death in children
Interesting fact: Part of the legume family

Danger from Native Grasses

Image by MyungHyun Kim from Pixabay

In addition to the poisonous plants listed above, there’s another common danger, namely foxtails. During the months of July, August, September and October the wild grasses that produce foxtails are soft and seemingly harmless. But these weeds (including spear grass) should always be avoided by your dog.

Why? The pointed seeds can easily latch onto your dog’s ears, skin, fur, paws and toes, noses, mouths and tender genital areas. Once attached, the barbed seeds begin to burrow into the body, chest cavity, lungs or bloodstream causing internal – and possibly irreversible – damage.