Sago Palm Scare

[joannscpo]

I never knew about the sago until reading about them here about six months ago. Needless to say I got rid of all of them that I had in my yard including in pots. They grow so nice here in Texas, I think that is one reason why people use them so much. But they are such a danger, plus they hurt like heck when you get poked.
Hope all turns out ok for your gang.

[MandiesMom]

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I only learned of this deadly tree a few months ago from the member here who warned us..who had lost her pup.

I just posted a warning about these trees on my FB page..maybe if we all get the word out, it can help make a difference. I'm sure so many don't know. I didn't.

[yorkietalkjilly]

This is awful. I am going to have to find out what those things look like and what the seeds look like and start to be on the lookout for them. Since we have no palm trees anywhere around, I never even thought about looking for the seeds in my yard in case a squirrel or bird should drop one from elsewhere in my yard! I pray your babies all stay safe!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Google image searched them and don't think I've ever seen the red or brown ones. Or even that tree with that weird bushy thing in it. Then I saw some pale ones and what looked like a peeled one. Well, at least now I know what to look for and hope they never do show up in our yard!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

This is awful. I am going to have to find out what those things look like and what the seeds look like and start to be on the lookout for them. Since we have no palm trees anywhere around, I never even thought about looking for the seeds in my yard in case a squirrel or bird should drop one from elsewhere in my yard! I pray your babies all stay safe!

They kind of look like pecans. Here is a link with pics of the seeds and the plants:

HOW TO GROW THE SAGO PALM FROM SEED |The Garden of Eaden

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

They kind of look like pecans. Here is a link with pics of the seeds and the plants:

HOW TO GROW THE SAGO PALM FROM SEED |The Garden of Eaden

Thanks. Now that I know what the seeds look like in several incarnations, I feel more armed to look for something like that. We do have various odd foodstuffs dropped in the yard from time to time - a piece of bread, the odd bleached white BBQ'd-looking rib, even a chicken bone or two, always chewed on one end or something and we do have the occasional pecan or pecan shell. I see squirrels outside nibbling on things all the time in the backyard so I guess it's mostly those little dears that bring those things in the yard. Now I know they could bring Sago Palm seeds, too! Yikes! Our dogs are almost literally sitting ducks!

[MomtoJasper]

Oh I would have freaked out!!! Will animal control come and catch that pesky squirrel? I'm praying your night goes well and nobody gets sick!!

[Yorkiemom1]

The people all around me have those HUGE, 50 foot tall palm trees, that have those HUGE clusters of orange ball looking thing, on them....I thought those were dates, but I dont think so....all I know is the squirrels pick them and then drop them in MY yard, and I have no idea if they are toxic or not.... They are about the size of a large pecan, and they develop a brown hairy looking covering after several days......Linda, there is NO end to the dangers in our back yards....we "puppy proof" everything in our homes and yards, double fence, put railroad ties all around the bottom of the fencing so it is harder for them to dig out of something to dig in, keep toxic plants off our property, keep trash and trash cans up and away from our babies so they dont get bones or stuff they can choke on....and what happens? Squirrels and birds BRING dangers in form all around us! Neighbors put out rat poison......what happens? The nasty mice and rats climb the fence, fall into MY yard to succumb to the effects of the poison! It takes me 30 minutes to sweep my yard before I let the dogs out, terrified they will get to something before I can get to them!

[yorkietalkjilly]

This morning when let out to potty before his breakfast, Tibbe was smelling something intensely back by the boat gate and I walked out there and right before I got to him, there was a 1 1/2 inch long pod of some kind! It definitely looked as if it had been partially eaten and you could see these gnaw marks all over. The hull was green just like the early pecans on the trees and inside kind of reddish brown and it looked fossilized. I pretty much panicked but thought more than anything it looks like a big partially eaten pecan in its green shell that has been in this state for a long, long time. Even the pulp part was very hard almost like wood. I brought it in and put it on the floor to see if Tibbe would approach it and he got close but then backed off and acted disinterested. I doubt if he got any of it whatever it is. But it doesn't look to me like any of those Sago Palm seeds on the websites and does look like a pecan in the green hulls. Still scary to find a big seed in the backyard after reading this yesterday.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Linda, I know your night was sleepless watching for symptoms but hopefully it was uneventful and your babies had no such symptoms during the night and no ER vet had to be seen.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Linda, I know your night was sleepless watching for symptoms but hopefully it was uneventful and your babies had no such symptoms during the night and no ER vet had to be seen.

Thanks!! I am running out the door to the groomer; but everyone is fine so far!! Teddy did not want to eat this morning, but maybe he is still upset from being made to throw up. Poor kid.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Thanks!! I am running out the door to the groomer; but everyone is fine so far!! Teddy did not want to eat this morning, but maybe he is still upset from being made to throw up. Poor kid.

Good to hear except for Teddy but I agree his tummy is probably irritated a bit from the medicine and vomiting. I'm the same way! Hope he can eat in a while and all do great. Sounds like to you got to them in time before they had a chance to really get into those sees. I've looked outside in the front. The one palm we had on the street has been cut down now but it was almost at the other end of the block. Still, with birds and squirrels - those things can travel anywhere from blocks away!

Just an excellent post for those of us who never thought those seeds could come to OUR yards! Well, now we know better.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Thanks!! I am running out the door to the groomer; but everyone is fine so far!! Teddy did not want to eat this morning, but maybe he is still upset from being made to throw up. Poor kid.

Poor Teddy. Glad to hear everyone is doing well otherwise.

[mimimomo]

Linda, keeping your fur babies in my prayers...we had a rascal squirrel living in the bamboo trees in our old house. It would sit on the wall & just stare @ my guys going nuts. He would leave all sorts of nuts & peach pits all over our tiny back yard. I never allowed them outside until I sweeped the place every inch, good thing it was a small space!

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

The people all around me have those HUGE, 50 foot tall palm trees, that have those HUGE clusters of orange ball looking thing, on them....I thought those were dates, but I dont think so....all I know is the squirrels pick them and then drop them in MY yard, and I have no idea if they are toxic or not.... They are about the size of a large pecan, and they develop a brown hairy looking covering after several days......Linda, there is NO end to the dangers in our back yards....we "puppy proof" everything in our homes and yards, double fence, put railroad ties all around the bottom of the fencing so it is harder for them to dig out of something to dig in, keep toxic plants off our property, keep trash and trash cans up and away from our babies so they dont get bones or stuff they can choke on....and what happens? Squirrels and birds BRING dangers in form all around us! Neighbors put out rat poison......what happens? The nasty mice and rats climb the fence, fall into MY yard to succumb to the effects of the poison! It takes me 30 minutes to sweep my yard before I let the dogs out, terrified they will get to something before I can get to them!

Those are queen palm trees...Momo ate one of the orange fruits from those trees w/the seed & it caused a blockage & he had to have surgery to remove it. It was a horrible & very expensive experience. I was sure he swallowed it, so the vet sent me to an emergency specialist & Momo suffered for 7 days. Since it didn't appear on x-ray or colonoscopy, the specialist kept refusing my request for exploratory surgery & kept pushing anti vomit & anti diarrhea meds. Finally, the specialist felt the seed lodged between the entrance of the large intestine (on the 6th day) & got it out. Every time I see those trees, I get heart palpitations & they're everywhere here! It's not poisonous (the fruit or seed) but it gave Momo multiple severe ulcers in his stomach lining.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

The people all around me have those HUGE, 50 foot tall palm trees, that have those HUGE clusters of orange ball looking thing, on them....I thought those were dates, but I dont think so....all I know is the squirrels pick them and then drop them in MY yard, and I have no idea if they are toxic or not.... They are about the size of a large pecan, and they develop a brown hairy looking covering after several days......Linda, there is NO end to the dangers in our back yards....we "puppy proof" everything in our homes and yards, double fence, put railroad ties all around the bottom of the fencing so it is harder for them to dig out of something to dig in, keep toxic plants off our property, keep trash and trash cans up and away from our babies so they dont get bones or stuff they can choke on....and what happens? Squirrels and birds BRING dangers in form all around us! Neighbors put out rat poison......what happens? The nasty mice and rats climb the fence, fall into MY yard to succumb to the effects of the poison! It takes me 30 minutes to sweep my yard before I let the dogs out, terrified they will get to something before I can get to them!

Yeah, it really stinks. I don't think the trees you are talking about are toxic but you should look them up. I have queen palms and they drop these little round seeds that sometimes my pups mess with but I looked them up and they are not toxic. They can cause stomach upset so I just pick them up. I also have to be careful of the acorns from the other neighbor's tree. It's just crazy.
I think the trees you are talking about are dates.
Here is a link about poisonous plants in TX....the one plant , Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is another bad one that one of the EC vets told me about.
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