Man Wants To Educate Dog Parents After Deadly Plant Killed His Dog

As responsible dog parents, we do everything to protect our dogs from danger. While protecting our dogs from harm’s way is a duty we take seriously, the harsh reality is that we cannot protect them from dangers we don’t know about. Dave Scheuermann learned this tragically and heartbreakingly.

Scheuermann allowed his one-year-old dog, Sofie, and his other dogs to play in their backyard. When Sofie came in, she was gagging and later threw up three times, so he immediately took her to the vet.

The pup’s health worsened in the days that followed, so her family took her to an emergency vet clinic. The clinic staff showed them a picture of a sago palm and asked whether Sofie had access to that kind of plant. They then learned the cause of Sofie’s sickness was the poisonous plant. Sadly, it was too late as Sofie wasn’t going to make it.

Due to its cycasin content, the sago palm can cause liver failure in dogs. All the plant parts are poisonous to dogs. However, the Pet Poison Helpline says the plant’s seeds are the most poisonous part.

ChrisWaits via Flickr

Mr. Scheuermann had sago palms in his backyard but wasn’t aware it was poisonous to dogs. The hardest part about the ordeal for him was that he could have prevented it if he had known. Now, he is on a mission to educate others through the “Sofie’s Sago Palm Project.”

Image Credit: GoFundMe