In The Garden: Please help identify

My dog is extremely ill. Emergency vet told us she has very little time left. I won't go into details but we found that since getting sick she makes a point of getting out into the back yard (we live in suburban Central NJ) and eating one particular plant. I would like to identify what it is since the doc said there is nothing to be done for her yet she shows a little progress. We are afraid to even hope but maybe........

Anyway, here are the pictures. Add a foot to the ruler where it shows how tall the plat is.

I seem to be unable to upload more than one image. Will upload another in next post

Thank u for your help

 

Saphira, I am sorry to hear of your dog's illness.

Are you certain that the tall plant is the one your dog has eaten? In the first photo there is a plant visible in lower right that appears to be poison ivy. Your dog might have an allergy or sensitivity to the urushiol, the toxic oil in the plant. Dogs are ususally OK with getting poson ivy ON themselves, but eating it could produce more serious consequences.

 

Togata, thank u. Yes, I am sure. Her illness is not stomach related. It's her lung lining that is leaking air into chest cavity. Not operable.

 

Could it possibly be Nerium, Oleander. The leaves look similar but I can't tell for sure. Take a big hunk of that plant into your County Extension Agent and have them identify it. If it is Oleander, get rid of it! barb

 

Saphira, was your point that your dog seems to be self-medicating (has been eating that plant since (after) getting sick), and you're wondering if it might be helping and what is it, should you look for more of it?

I'm sorry I can't answer any of these questions, but the replies didn't seem to be along the line I was expecting and I thought you might clarify what you're asking.

 

Wendy, I think that you are correct. After reading Saphira's posts again it does seem that she is asking us to ID the plant being eaten by her dog as an attempt to relieve itself of the pain.

So the question remains: what IS this plant? I freely admit I do not know! It does look similar to one I have been yanking out of my garden this summer.

 

The alternate, toothed leaves show that it is not oleander. It looks like goldenrod or aster.

 

Solidago can be a good call. Leaves nicely match Solidago altissima; however the hairs look longer than normal. Could be Solidago hispida but I did not find a good picture of the leaves.

 

Yes, yes, exactly! she is trying to self medicate and it seems to be helping. thank you for pointing this out. i am so upset, can't get my point accross any better. sorry.

Tokata, Ab and Andrey, thank you for answering. yes, i am trying to figure out what and why she is doing it since according to vet, she should have not survived the weekend. but she did and seems to have made some progress. if this plant helps, then i want to know what it is and find out what is helping her and see if i can supplement in some way. i don't want to loose her. she is the best dog in the world.

 

I looked at both Solidago altissima and Solidago hispida. they don't look right. however, pictures of the leaves of aster look much closer. we are no gardeners but there are some daisies and Echinacea flowers in the same place. These are not the same. lots of weeds too. but this plant seems to be thriving and spreading. no idea where it came from.

 

I was born far from North America, but I remember our dogs also ate some grass when they were sick. Most of our dogs died of leukosis (caused by particular insects spreading canine distemper). Vaccination never helped. Treating never helped either. Most of our dogs were pure bred. That was the main problem. Mongrels rarely get sick with human-like diseases... Eating grass never helped the dogs. I doubt if there is any plant that may help anybody in 21st century. Antibiotics and chemistry are our last hope, IMHO (I am not a vet or a doc).

 

Thanks Abgardeneer, for saying NOT Oleander. My eyes are not what they once were.

 

Hmm. Says on Wikipedia that Solidago used in herbal medicine as kidney tonic, to lessen inflammation from bacterial infections/kidney stones, and that native Americans chewed leaves for toothache and sore-throat relief.

That's OK, Barb! Mine neither! Your suggestion to take the plant to the extension service is a good one.

 

sore throat relief might make sense. she has this kind of caugh because she is trying to expand her lungs to breathe but there is air in the cavity and no place to expand, so she caughs, kind of. maybe her throat is sore. i know mine would be if i had this kind of caugh.

what is extension service? and where do i find it? would appreciate a suggestion how to go about finding it.

thank you

 

Try this:

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/county/

Dunno what county you are in (Mercer?) but if the office is too far away maybe you could fax them a photo. ???

 

Just search new jersey extension. Or if that doesn't turn out to be specific enough, new jersey cooperative extension.

 

got it! thanks. will email them shortly
http://www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?Id=3771

thank you

ETA: i was so hoping it would help the original problem, not the sore throat.......

 

Just got a response from the county extention. "we can't identify plant from a picture and there are no flowers and if it produces flowers then send us the picture and maybe we will be able to. or you can bring it in and maybe... but we would need the flowers to tell you anything"
some "Master Gardeners" they are. I think i got my response here. Thank you all for your help.

 

Well, phooey. Not too helpful!

I was thinking that you might have better luck in consulting the staff of a local nursery---NOT a 'big box' store, but a real local nursery where the employees know their plants.

Or---if you know of a herbal/organic/vegan sort of store, where they sell locally baked bread and display hand-written signs and wear hand-woven/tie-dyed/natural fiber clothing/jewelry/shoes and many staff sport dreadlocks and/or braids---usually there will be someone there who knows a lot about plants and home remedies. There is one such not far from me and it's a pretty cool place. They might even have something on hand that could help your dog.

In any case--------------GOOD LUCK!!! I am sending good thoughts to you and your dog.

Here's one:
http://www.naturescornernaturalmarket.com
Give'em a call---if they don't have plant expertise maybe an employee can tell you who does!
Another idea: look for veterinarians who practice holistic medicine, acupuncture etc.

Whoa! Take a look at this list!
http://askville.amazon.com/find-hol...tral-jersey/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=8723641

 

Wow, Togata, you hit it right on the money! several places near me and the store is local to me too! Thank you so much for your help. you are a life saver. literally.

i appreciate if very much

 

Thank u all for your help. My doggie is better. The plant helped.

Please mark this resolved

 

So nice to hear, Saphira! Thanks for letting us know.

 

There is someone "minding the universe". I'm sorry your extension agent didn't come through for you and bless the nursery people you contacted. Did you ever find out what the plant is? barb

 

I think what's usual is to find out where the nearest Extension office is and go there in person. I certainly couldn't tell for sure what your plant was using only the pictures you started this thread with myself.

 

Excellent news! Thanks for letting us know.
Amazing how your dog knew what to do.
Yes, please do try to get the plant IDed. Might be important information!
Plants are great, aren't they?

Really good news.