Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Thursday - February 24, 2011
From: Waco, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Dogs developing allergic skin problems in Waco TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
We have 2 West Highland White terriers..since we moved 2 yrs. ago, they have developed TERRIBLE skin problems at our new home, about 5 miles from our old home, in Waco. What contact plants, shrubs, tress could cause this? Is there anything we can put in our St. Augustine grass that would eliminate any fungus/harmful bacteria in the grass? What plants, trees, veggies, shrubs should we AVOID planting?ANSWER:
You probably don't want to hear this, but dogs are really out of our area of expertise. In the first place, we have no idea what plants you might have in your new garden. Some of them could very well be non-natives that have been planted or have migrated into your yard. And if there is a list of plants specific to Central Texas that causes dog allergies we couldn't find it. However, when we Googled on "dog allergies to plants," we found a lot of information. We are going to list some of these websites that looked promising to us. Of course, the first thing we would suggest, if you have not done so already, is take those dogs to a veterinarian. We would be willing to bet that the veterinarian has heard this before. It may take some testing, some experimental removal of certain plants, etc. but the vet is the best resource.
Plant Food and Contact Allergies in Dogs
Identifying and Controlling Your Dog's Allergies
Skin and Allergy Problems in Dogs
That should give you a good start, and most of those articles have links to other lists and articles, as well. Start out by identifying what is different in your new yard from what was in the old yard, where they apparently did not have this problem.
More Poisonous Plants Questions
Spots on leaves of sevenleaf creeper in Austin
November 14, 2009 - Have 3 seven leaf creepers that are planted in mostly shade. In Sept & Oct 2009 all 3 plants had dried up leaves which fell off; however, all three plants grew new leaves when we got rain and are com...
view the full question and answer
Damaged leaves on bottlebrush buckeye from Glen Mills PA
June 09, 2013 - My recently planted bottlebrush buckeye plants' leaves are looking damaged but it doesn't look like insect or fungus damage. They look battered by wind but I don't understand why that would happen...
view the full question and answer
Will Calycanthus floridus (Eastern sweetshrub) grow near black walnut trees?
April 01, 2012 - Will Calycanthus floridus survive if planted near Black Walnut trees? If not, can you recommend a similar bush that will?
view the full question and answer
Plants for water park
January 03, 2013 - Hi,
I usually have no problem locating the right species for a given situation, but I may need some advice for this. I am looking for plants -- from annual & perennial flowers to shrubs and small t...
view the full question and answer
Toxicity of Texas Mountain Laurel seeds to livestock and dogs?
March 09, 2011 - Are the seeds of the Texas Mountain Laurel poisonous to livestock or dogs? Thanks
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
