MagicMtnDan
01-25-2006, 06:53 AM
Puppy Dies After Chewing On Sago Palm In Backyard
LOS ANGELES - It is an increasingly common landscape and patio plant but one that is terribly toxic. The sago palm is sold at garden centers all over Southern California, often with no warnings about the possible danger to children and animals.
KELLY MACK: Her name was Josephine, a five-month-old chocolate Labrador with a personality that her owner, Terry Gasparovic, instantly fell in love with.
TERRY GASPAROVIC: "She was real curious, liked to get up early, stay up late, wanted to walk a lot. She was just an active, happy little puppy."
MACK: Terry made his home in Torrance safe and comfortable for Josephine...installing gates, doggie doors, a gazebo for shade and even a remote camera to check up on her. Before planting his backyard garden, he checked the labels on the plants he bought at the local Lowe's store to make sure they were safe for animals.
GASPAROVIC: "We really tried to make sure that everything was safe for a puppy."
MACK: Terry planted a sago palm and Josephine, being a puppy, chewed on it one day.
GASPAROVIC: "I went in the back yard and looked around and saw where she had thrown up on the grass." "So I rushed her to the vet... The vet called and told me her liver had shut down..."
MACK: It turns out that the sago palm is one of the most toxic plants known, especially dangerous for animals and children...but often it carries little or no warning.
DR. JONNIE QUANTZ, ANIMAL EMERGENCY REFERRAL CENTER: "It destroys the gastrointestinal tract, it destroys the liver, they go into liver failure, massive bleeding abnormalities..."
MACK: Veterinarian Jonnie Quantz treated Josephine with plasma and blood transfusions...but it was not enough to beat the poison in the sago palm.
DR. QUANTZ: "When I look them up on the Internet, I see how to grow them, how much they're worth. You have to look through pages and pages of websites to find just a few pages on their toxic properties."
MACK: "Terry contacted managers at Lowe's and asked them why a warning isn't posted for sago palms. According to Terry, Lowe's managers told him if the product is 'natural' they are not required to post a warning."
DR. QUANTZ: "I believe that they owe the public a warning."
MACK: Other plants that are equally toxic are also sold at garden centers without warning labels. A certain Azalea, for example, had no label at all, and it is poisonous to animals. Common lilies are also dangerous.
DR. QUANTZ: "They cause kidney failure...particularly in cats. There should be a sign that these are toxic to children and animals "
MACK: Back at Terry's home, the doggy biscuits remain on the counter and the food bowl sits on the kitchen floor, but Josephine is not coming home.
GASPAROVIC: "I hate it, its just too quiet in the house. At nighttime you miss her just walking around, crawling under the bed. She was really a great little dog. We just loved her to death."
A Lowe's spokeswoman tells NBC4 that the dog's death was unfortunate, but said that there's no legal requirement to post warnings on plants when such warnings are publicly available elsewhere. She also said it's not realistic for Lowe's to alert the public to every potentially dangerous plant, especially when the danger can vary from animal to animal.
LOS ANGELES - It is an increasingly common landscape and patio plant but one that is terribly toxic. The sago palm is sold at garden centers all over Southern California, often with no warnings about the possible danger to children and animals.
KELLY MACK: Her name was Josephine, a five-month-old chocolate Labrador with a personality that her owner, Terry Gasparovic, instantly fell in love with.
TERRY GASPAROVIC: "She was real curious, liked to get up early, stay up late, wanted to walk a lot. She was just an active, happy little puppy."
MACK: Terry made his home in Torrance safe and comfortable for Josephine...installing gates, doggie doors, a gazebo for shade and even a remote camera to check up on her. Before planting his backyard garden, he checked the labels on the plants he bought at the local Lowe's store to make sure they were safe for animals.
GASPAROVIC: "We really tried to make sure that everything was safe for a puppy."
MACK: Terry planted a sago palm and Josephine, being a puppy, chewed on it one day.
GASPAROVIC: "I went in the back yard and looked around and saw where she had thrown up on the grass." "So I rushed her to the vet... The vet called and told me her liver had shut down..."
MACK: It turns out that the sago palm is one of the most toxic plants known, especially dangerous for animals and children...but often it carries little or no warning.
DR. JONNIE QUANTZ, ANIMAL EMERGENCY REFERRAL CENTER: "It destroys the gastrointestinal tract, it destroys the liver, they go into liver failure, massive bleeding abnormalities..."
MACK: Veterinarian Jonnie Quantz treated Josephine with plasma and blood transfusions...but it was not enough to beat the poison in the sago palm.
DR. QUANTZ: "When I look them up on the Internet, I see how to grow them, how much they're worth. You have to look through pages and pages of websites to find just a few pages on their toxic properties."
MACK: "Terry contacted managers at Lowe's and asked them why a warning isn't posted for sago palms. According to Terry, Lowe's managers told him if the product is 'natural' they are not required to post a warning."
DR. QUANTZ: "I believe that they owe the public a warning."
MACK: Other plants that are equally toxic are also sold at garden centers without warning labels. A certain Azalea, for example, had no label at all, and it is poisonous to animals. Common lilies are also dangerous.
DR. QUANTZ: "They cause kidney failure...particularly in cats. There should be a sign that these are toxic to children and animals "
MACK: Back at Terry's home, the doggy biscuits remain on the counter and the food bowl sits on the kitchen floor, but Josephine is not coming home.
GASPAROVIC: "I hate it, its just too quiet in the house. At nighttime you miss her just walking around, crawling under the bed. She was really a great little dog. We just loved her to death."
A Lowe's spokeswoman tells NBC4 that the dog's death was unfortunate, but said that there's no legal requirement to post warnings on plants when such warnings are publicly available elsewhere. She also said it's not realistic for Lowe's to alert the public to every potentially dangerous plant, especially when the danger can vary from animal to animal.