Autumn planting puts two hazards in the same garden at once. Spring bulbs go into the ground now, and the bulb is far more concentrated than the flower it becomes. Meanwhile the doorstep fills with mums and the beds get a scoop of bone meal, which is the part most dogs actually want to eat.
Why October is the month for this conversation
Dunbar gardens get worked hard in the fall. Bulbs go in between now and the first hard frost, beds are cut back, the last of the fruit comes down, and the garden centres are full of chrysanthemums and ornamental kale for the front steps.
For a dog, all of that reads as an invitation. Freshly turned soil is interesting, something smelling of bone has been buried in it, and the gardener is distracted. For a cat, the risk is less about digging and more about what comes indoors: forced bulbs in pots, cut flowers, and a windowsill full of paperwhites by December.
The bulbs themselves
The general rule is simple and worth remembering: the bulb is the most concentrated part of the plant. A dog who nibbles a tulip petal in April is in a different situation from a dog who eats three tulip bulbs out of a bag in October.
- Tulip and hyacinth. The irritant compounds sit mostly in the bulb. Expect drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and belly pain. Larger amounts can affect heart rate and breathing.
- Daffodil and narcissus. Similar picture, often with more forceful vomiting. A large amount can drop blood pressure and cause tremors, so quantity matters.
- Ornamental allium. Same family as onion and garlic, with the same effect on red blood cells. Cats are particularly sensitive.
- Snowdrop and amaryllis. Both cause stomach upset, and a larger amount can bring lethargy, tremors and a drop in blood pressure. Amaryllis tends to arrive indoors in winter as a gift.
- Any bulb, mechanically. A swallowed bulb is also a lump of dense material. In a small dog, that alone can block the gut, and a blockage may need our surgical services team.
Autumn crocus is the one to learn by sight
Autumn crocus, sometimes called meadow saffron, flowers in September and October. It looks like an oversized crocus in pink or mauve, pushing up out of bare ground with no leaves around it.
Along with yew, it is one of the two most dangerous plants in this article. It contains colchicine, which causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, and can then go on to damage the liver, kidneys and bone marrow. Signs can be delayed by hours or even a couple of days, which means a pet who looks fine after eating it is not necessarily fine.
It is easy to confuse with the spring crocus, which is a much milder stomach upset, and with saffron crocus, which also flowers in autumn. If your pet eats any crocus-shaped flower or bulb, photograph the plant, pick a sample if you can, and phone us. Do not wait for signs.
What else is out there in October
- Garden mums. Chrysanthemums cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes wobbliness, plus skin irritation in pets who lie in them. A pot on the step within reach of a bored dog is the usual scenario.
- Yew. Common as a hedge across Vancouver’s West Side and genuinely dangerous, including the seed inside the red berry. Any chewing of yew is an emergency call, not a wait and see.
- Cyclamen. Popular for autumn containers, with the highest concentration in the tuber.
- Bone meal and blood meal. The most likely thing your dog will eat in the whole garden, because it smells like food. Blood meal causes heavy vomiting and can inflame the pancreas. Bone meal can compact into a dense lump that the stomach cannot shift.
- Windfall fruit. Fermenting apples and plums are an alcohol exposure as well as a stomach upset, the pits can block the gut, and mouldy fruit can cause tremors.
- Mushrooms. They appear in Dunbar lawns within a day of the rain returning. Our guide to autumn mushrooms in Dunbar lawns and parks covers what to do about them.
How to plant without an incident
- Plant while your pets are indoors. The open bag on the lawn is the highest risk moment of the whole day.
- Store bulbs in a sealed bin, not a paper sack on a low shelf in the shed or the garage. Bulbs are appealing and paper is not a barrier.
- Count what you plant. Knowing that the bag held twenty and nineteen went in is genuinely useful information if something goes wrong.
- Skip the bone meal, or bury it deep, if you live with a digger. There are alternatives that smell of nothing.
- Lay chicken wire just under the soil surface over newly planted areas. It makes digging much harder without stopping the shoots in spring.
- Supervise the first week. Fresh soil is the attraction, and the interest fades once the bed settles.
- Sweep up strays. A bulb that rolled under the hedge will be found eventually.
- Label what went where. A photo of the packet on your phone takes five seconds and answers our first question.
If your pet eats a bulb or a plant
Phone us and be ready with three things: what it was, roughly how much, and when. Bring the packet or a photo of the plant, and a sample if you can take one safely. Do not attempt to induce vomiting yourself.
Mild cases are often a day of stomach upset. Where the amount is significant, or the plant is one of the serious ones, we will want your pet in. Our urgent care team can start supportive care quickly, and blood work through our on-site pet diagnostics shows how the liver, kidneys and blood cells are holding up, which matters most with autumn crocus, allium and yew.
Cats, indoor bulbs and winter bouquets
Cats are less interested in the garden bed and more interested in what lands on the table. Forced bulbs in a bowl, paperwhites on a sunny sill and amaryllis in December are all within reach, and cut flower arrangements often contain more than the label suggests.
The other reason to be careful indoors is that a cat does not need to eat much to get into trouble, and a cat who is quietly drooling, refusing food or hiding will not tell you what they chewed. If a plant has come into the house and your cat is off, assume the two are connected until we can rule it out.
Frequently asked questions
Are daffodils really dangerous, or is that overstated?
The flowers usually cause a mild upset. The bulbs are a different matter, and dogs who dig one up tend to eat more than a taste. Vomiting, drooling and diarrhea are typical, and a large amount can affect blood pressure and cause tremors, so tell us how many.
My dog dug up and chewed one tulip bulb. What now?
Phone us with your dog’s weight and the number of bulbs. A single bulb in a large dog is often a day of stomach upset, while the same bulb in a small dog is a bigger deal. We will tell you whether to come in or to watch at home, and what to watch for.
How do I tell autumn crocus from a normal crocus?
Autumn crocus flowers in September and October, usually with no leaves present, and the blooms are larger. Spring crocus flowers in February and March alongside its grassy leaves. If you cannot be sure, photograph it and handle the situation as the more serious of the two until we have seen the picture.
Are chrysanthemums safe to keep on the front steps?
Out of reach, they are not a problem. Expect drooling, vomiting or loose stool if a dog eats a mouthful, and possible skin irritation in a pet who lies in the pot, so a plant stand deals with both routes at once.
Is bone meal a problem? It is sold as a natural fertilizer.
It is natural and it is still a problem, because it is the one product in the garden that dogs deliberately gorge on. A large amount can compact into a dense lump. Bury it well below the bulb or use something less appealing.
My cat chewed a leaf from a flower arrangement. Should I call?
Yes, especially if you do not know every plant in the bouquet. Cats are sensitive to several common cut flowers, and some of the serious ones do not cause immediate signs. A quick phone call with a photo of the arrangement is the fastest way to find out.
Speak to the team at Alta Vista Animal Hospital
If your pet has eaten a bulb, a plant or a scoop of bone meal, phone us with the packet in front of you.
Published by the team at Alta Vista Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Alta Vista Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Alta Vista Animal Hospital
4543 Dunbar St, Vancouver, BC V6S 2G7
Phone: (604) 221-5858
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM