5. ENGLISH IVY

Hedera helix

(ginseng family)

TOXICITY RATING: Low. Although reported to be very toxic in a few scattered reports, this is not a frequently encountered toxicosis.

ANIMALS AFFECTED: Cats, dogs, birds, other pets.

DANGEROUS PARTS OF PLANT: Leaves, berries.

CLASS OF SIGNS: Oral irritation, stomach irritation, diarrhea, breathing problems, coma, death.

PLANT DESCRIPTION: The vines that give many colleges their "halls of ivy" appearance may be poisonous. These woody vines, also used as groundcovers, have alternate, palmately-lobed, dark green leaves with lighter green veins (fig. 5). Flowers are uncommon but are borne in small umbrella-like clusters and produce small black berries.

SIGNS: A saponic glycoside, the aglycone hederagenin, is found in the leaves and berries. This is an uncommon poisoning, but incidents have been reported in dogs, cats, and pet monkeys, especially when the green berries were eaten. The most common signs relate to mouth and stomach irritation, but coma and death may occur if large quantities are consumed.

FIRST AID: There is no specific antidote. If animals are observed eating English ivy, contact a veterinarian immediately, especially if a large quantity of the plant was consumed. A bite or two of a leaf is not likely to cause a serious problem, but this should be discouraged.

SAFETY IN PREPARED FEEDS: There are no clear reports on this, but consider English ivy unsafe in prepared feeds.

PREVENTION: Keep animals, especially curious nibblers, away from English ivy. Exercise caution for indoor animals as well, since English ivy grows up the sides of buildings and can grow through window openings.