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Bulbs/ARE THE AMARYLLIS BULBS POISOINOUS?

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Expert: Long Island Gardener - 3/12/2008


Question
MY PUP GOT INTO SOME STORED BULBS I HAD AND ATE QUITE A BIT OF AN AMARYLLIS BULB. HE HAS BEEN THROWING UP BUT OTHERWISE LOOKING FINE BUT ARE THEY KNOWN TO BE POISOINOUS? THANKS ANNIE

Answer
Lycorine in the Amaryllis bulb is poisonous.  Bring puppy to the vet asap.

Vomiting and diarrhea are the symptoms.  Treatment usually involves rehydration -- hard to do in a dog.

The ASPCA posts an Animal Poison page at its website:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_toxicplants

I cannot emphasize how important it is never to delay any kind of treatment if you suspect your pet has eaten something that might be poisonous.  In many cases, symptoms come, then go, and there is a false sense of relief that the worst is over; instead, the poison continues to do internal damage, and by the time new symptoms appear, treatment is too late.  Often the animal survives, thankfully, but what would you do if your puppy did not?  We live with these decisions for the rest of our lives.

Good luck, I hope puppy gets better.  Please keep in touch.

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.

Experience

Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.

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