Some houseplants deadly to pets

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) - It has been nearly a month since Megan Mackety's dog died after eating a part of a common houseplant that she thought was harmless. 

"I can't talk about it without crying," Mackety told 24 Hour News 8 on Tuesday night. 

The nine-month-old Jack Russell terrier is buried in Mackety's back yard. She said their dog is never far from her or her husband's thoughts. 

"Coming home to an empty house is difficult," said Mackety. "If my husband's away for the night it's difficult. It was just so much a part of our routine to have, you know, her following me everywhere I went, and doing everything I did with me. It's just a huge loss." 

Mackety said she and her husband came home several weeks ago to find their dog had eaten a part of their sago palm plant. The dog had eaten a part of the plant's leaves and root. A veterinarian said the root is the most problematic part of that particular plant to a housepet.  

Mackety said her dog died one week before her wedding. 

She contacted 24 Hour News 8 because she said she doesn't want anyone to go through the pain she and her husband went through.

"I want people to be aware and make sure that they are researching and researching any plant that they have if they have pets in their home," said Mackety. 

24 Hour News 8 has learned that dozens of plants and foods you may have in your home right now could be dangerous to your pet.

At a local dog park, some dog owners were surprised about the potential dangers. 

Anne Jetzer owns two dogs. 

"I was just pretty blown away with how big the list was. I thought it would be maybe 10 or 20 plants. I didn't think it would be pages and pages of two columns of plants, so that was pretty scary," Jetzer said. 

She said she was most surprised the number of outdoor plants that are hazardous to pets. 

Though some people may think pets -- or animals in general -- innately know when something could be hazardous to their health, a local veterinarian said that's not the case. 

"Unfortunately [pets] don't discriminate with what they eat," said Dr. Emily Ball. "Often, we see dogs in here that eat socks and underwear and things like that, so taste and knowing it's not good for them doesn't usually deter them." 

Ball is a veterinarian with Animal Emergency Hospital in Grand Rapids. She saw Mackety's dog when the terrier got sick. 

She said that it's likely the dog died as a direct result of eating the plant. The dog exhibited symptoms that are usually associated with ingesting the sago palm, but Ball pointed out, unless a liver sample is taken, they can't be 100% sure that's what the dog died from. 

She said she doesn't think it's possible to put a warning label on every single thing that might be hazardous to a pet, but does recommend that owners take some sensible precautions.

"The best thing you can do is try to keep things out of reach that you know to be potentially toxic. Any plants that you're unsure of keeping them out of reach of your pets," said Ball. 

Mackety just hopes that her story sends a message to other pet owners.  

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