The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Gardens => Topic started by: dancing james on March 19, 2017, 10:51:35 am
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Are there any good ways to eliminate Dog's Mercury?
It appears we have a lot of it in our garden and given its toxicity and attractiveness to dogs we'd like to get rid of it or at least minimise it.
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I've not heard of it being particularly attractive to dogs?
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According to The Poison Garden, the dog part of the name simply means that it has no use as a healing herb, nothing to do with dog the animal. Sounds like it's a mega laxative. It has poisoned people, giving them GI problems, also cattle and sheep, no mention of dogs on that site.
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I've not heard of it being particularly attractive to dogs?
it is meant to smell quite bad (a rotten smell) which some dogs find attractive.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blogs/woodland-trust/2017/02/poisonous-plants-dogs/ (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blogs/woodland-trust/2017/02/poisonous-plants-dogs/)
http://www.natureofdorset.co.uk/species/dogs-mercury (http://www.natureofdorset.co.uk/species/dogs-mercury)
"It is poisonous and should certainly not be eaten as it can cause all manner of problems including liver failure! It contains some harmful chemicals although I am not sure mercury is one of the ingredients! It could well be where the mercury in its name comes from though but what is more intriguing is why it is dog's mercury. Wikipedia suggests that it is because dog can mean false or bad however a website http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/dogs-mercury (http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/dogs-mercury) has a number of comments describing how peoples' dogs find the plant irresistible although it usually makes them sick after eating it. Even though dogs are not normally considered vegetarian could it be that they find the scent and taste of the plant so attractive that they eat it even though it is poisonous and it makes them sick? "
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I wondered where this post had gone!
Interesting about the dogs. I wonder if the dogs wanted to be sick and used it as a purgative? Just speculation on my part.