what in my garden could cause my dog and cat to have very severe fits?

Question

i moved to a new house in june. since then my 3 year old cat has had 4 epileptic type fits, a few weeks a part and then 2 weeks ago my 7 month old pup had 1 at night. he was fine afterwards but in the morning i woke up to find him concious but unable to move at all. the only response i got from him was a little wag of the tail and he moved his eyes in my direction. when i took him to the vet she said he looked like he had been fitting all nite and he was severely brain damaged. i was distraught as i had to have him put to sleep. i am trying to locate the problem as i have a 2 year old son and dont want the same to happen to him. does anyone have any suggestions as i am desperate to find the cause of this problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

Have you been to the vets?
What are your neighbours like? i know it might sound a little far fetched but we had a horrible old woman next door to us and she used to put poison and bleach down! Our dog was always ill.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear about this.
I googled "dog + fits + poison" and there was quite a lot of info.
Chinaberries and nightshade are two plants that are listed as causing this; its very odd that both your dog and cat should have eaten them.
Chinaberry, Moonweed, Water hemlock, Coriaria, Nux vomica" are also possible culprits.

Also listed is Ipecac syrup, which would be more palatable; but unlikely to be just lying around.
There is also a long list of garden plants here;
http://http://www.dr-dan.com/newpage16.htm

I agree, the vet should have done a post mortem. I also think that the bizarre symtoms, and the fact that this has affected both your dog and your cat should have rung alarm bells. Your vet should have been more curious as to the cause and offered to chase this up.

Go to the local police, ask them if the previous owner had trouble with their pets. If there is a neighbour poisoning local animals its unlikely that yours have been the first, and they won't be the last.

Answer 3

weedkiller, rat poison, slug bait. A neighbour who hates animals? Go into the garden and look carefully under shrubs, plants etc. Speak to your neighbours and ask if the previous owner had pets. Why didn't your vet do an autopsy of the stomach contents, then you wouldn't need to be guessing as he would have found anything the animals had eaten and identified it.
I would also like to put the record straight about the electronic pest things. They emit a high pitched sound which humans cannot hear. They do not and can not cause epileptic fits in animals. If they did they would not allowed to be sold because they would also cause fits in humans. Use your common sense people.

Answer 4

You must feel devastated about this. Have you sought help from someone to investigate what the problem is?

My thoughts are that if you have near neighbour that they may have one of those devices that keep cats and dogs out of the garden. These sort of devices transmit electrical impluse and this may be the reason why your pets have had fits.

The only other possibility is if you are living near electric pylons perhaps this is the cause.

I am not expert so I would suggest that you contact your enviromental officer at your local council offices. And explain what has happened. Though first of all I would speak to your neighbours if appropriate and ask them if they have had similar occurances with their pets.

I am sure your little boy will be fine but it is always best to err on the side of caution.

Best wishes to you and your family. I would be eager to know what the outcome of your enquiries. xx Nettie.


POST SCRIPT: Perhaps you should also contact the building contractors and explain to them what has been happening.

Answer 5

It sounds like a kind of rat poison..warwerfen (sp)?

Maybe there was something there before you moved in that is still in the soil? Make a list of anything you could have used at the new home that you didnt before. (everything from cleaning supplies to outside stuff) Make sure when you work in the garden you are using gloves, just in case. Check the shed if you have one too...because I am really thinking rat poison. (friend's cat on a farm got mixed up in it) Ant poison people use outside can also cause some problems in animals.

I hope you find it soon...wish there was a way you could tell us once you find out what it was.

PS I am so sorry about your animals.

Answer 6

It's hard to answer that without knowing what's in and around your yard. Get a sample of every plant in your yard and bring them to a local garden center and see if they'll help you identify all of them. You might have something growing that is poisonous for animals to eat.

It's horrible to contemplate, but some people hate animals and will leave poisons out for any animal that wanders into their yard. If you're suspicious of that, try putting up a fence so your animals can't leave your yard (it's possible to get fences that will stop cats).

It's also possible that the problem is inside the house. Is it possible to contain your cat indoors? If it is and the fits stop, the problem is outside. I would try this first to rule out the possibility that it's something in the house itself that's poisoning the animals....

Answer 7

Oh that s just terrible the poor animals, I would go to the library or search the net for images of poisonous plants. Go around your garden and really scan every plant thats there, We had a dog who took fits and also had to be put down and when an uncle came to visit us that summer he found a crop of "Deadly NightShade" in our garden, it's highly poisonous, we have no idea how it got there, we suspect the dog may have inhaled or eaten it. The other thing is you may just be unlucky in that both your cat and dog have disorders and nothing to do with your garden, I really hope your neighbours are'nt poisoning them. good luck, do try the net though for pics of deadly plants you never know a seed could have blown in or have been dropped ib a birds droppings.
Good luck.

Answer 8

Jeeze that sounds horrendous. I would look in to what chemicals may have been used in the garden, such as weed killers etc. Some of them can still be very active in your garden for up to 6 months. There's not a lot you can do about it other that keep your pets off the lawn and garden area until you are sure it's clear of chemicals. Maybe let them back on next summer? Certainly do not let your son out there until you have got to the bottom of the matter. Good luck!

you can get soil testing kits fairly cheaply at your local garden centre. They are really easy to use, and safe. It may be worth contacting the previous owners jsut to check what chemicals they may have used. People selling houses with gardens often OD with chemicals on the area to "blitz" it and make it look great for sellling, especially if they were not in to gardening themselves and let it get out of hand.

Answer 9

Sounds like a problem I had long ago.
I bought a house in town and inherited a dog with it, a 160lb Pit-bull, he was as genital as a lamb.
My neighbor decided he didn't like the dog & soaked some meat in antifreez, tossed the meat over the fence and the dog ate it.
He also had convulsions, I called the vet, who came to the house.
Unfortunatly the dog died.
Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Oh i am so sorry, this must of been really awful for you.

The only things i can think of is maybe the previous owners have treated the garden with something or that your neighbours have those new electronic plug in things that get rid of creepy crawlies, they can also affect your pets at home.

I hope you find the cause of this as it would be awful for anything else to happen.

Good luck and sympathy to you and your familys loss x

Answer 11

I'm so sorry about your cat & little puppy.
Have you checked all the plants outside, its only a thought,I hope you find out what it is.I wish I could be of more help bye.