'Extremely toxic' Lowcountry plant is killing more dogs. Here's what you need to know

After noticing an increasing number of dogs dying from poisonous plants, Beaufort County veterinarians are warning pet owners to stay alert.

Travis Davison, a veterinarian at the Bluffton Veterinary Hospital, said he has seen six dogs poisoned by Sago Palm trees within the last month — and three of those dogs died.

By comparison, Davison said he typically only treats one or two dogs affected by the plant a year.

Sago Palms, which are a common fixture in South Carolina's Lowcountry landscape, are one of the most poisonous plants for dogs.

Not only can ingesting the plant cause a dog to experience vomiting and diarrhea, it can become lethal by creating clots in the bloodstream and liver failure as a whole.

"My guess is that after the snow and frost, a lot of (Sago Palms) turned brown, so people were trimming up the dead arms and various parts, and the trimmings and seeds fell to the base of the plant," Davison said.

All six dogs that came into Bluffton Veterinarian Hospital within the last month received appropriate care quickly, he said, but the three that died had "ingested such a high dose that the damage was too great to fix."

Although the entire Sago Palm plant is toxic to dogs, the seeds are the most lethal part.

"One seed has enough of the toxins to kill a dog," said Tracy Duffner, veterinarian at Heritage Animal Hospital. "So it's just extremely toxic."

Duffner said she occasionally treats dogs who ingest other toxic plants, such as oleanders and azaleas. "But Sago is in its own category as far as its toxicity to dogs," she said.

Avoiding the plant is the best preventive measure pet owners can take, experts say.

"If you have dogs and Sago Palms in your yard or in any common areas where you walk your dogs, make sure they can't get to them," Duffner said.

Duffner recommends that pet owners walk around their yard and identify any plants that could potentially be dangerous to their pets.

Davison said that if your pet enjoys chewing on things, you may want to reconsider having the plant in your yard at all.

Symptoms can take up to three days to show up in a dog's system, according to Duffner. But once the toxins start taking effect, a dog will begin vomiting, have diarrhea and it will go down quickly from there, she said.

Think your dog has eaten a poisonous plant?

Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435.

For a full list of toxic plants for pets, visit the The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website here.

This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 3:17 PM with the headline "'Extremely toxic' Lowcountry plant is killing more dogs. Here's what you need to know."