If you have dogs in New Zealand, please read this and consider sharing. It nearly cost our dog her life.
One sunny evening my husband and I were walking around our property looking at plants and chatting about what we might add to the garden. When I turned around, I saw our 8-year-old miniature schnauzer Pepper chewing something in the grass. At first I thought it was just a stick… but when I looked closer I realised she had cracked open a seed and was chewing the nut inside.
My heart sank. It could have been from a cycad that had previously seeded in our garden, or more likely from a Karaka berry. The seeds look very similar, and my guess is a bird had dropped it into the grass. Both are extremely toxic. Because I knew how dangerous these seeds are, I immediately yelled for her to drop it. She spat part of it out but had already chewed and swallowed some. I grabbed the remaining piece and rang the after-hours vet straight away. It was around 7pm and I knew these seeds can kill dogs.
At the clinic the vet acted quickly and gave her medication in the eye to induce vomiting. When she vomited, the vet found three small pieces of the nut — the most toxic part. We were incredibly lucky. The vet told us that if a dog eats a whole cycad or karaka seed, they rarely survive. If I hadn’t seen Pepper eating it, we likely wouldn’t have known what was wrong until she became very sick — and by then it could have been too late. What has shocked me since is how common Karaka berries are. I’ve seen them everywhere — scattered in parks, along walkways, and even washed up on beaches. This post isn’t about scaring people. It’s about awareness. As gardeners we often know which plants are toxic, but many dog owners don’t realise how dangerous some seeds, pods and berries can be.
Please keep an eye on what your dogs (and young children) pick up and chew when you’re out walking. Some plants commonly found in New Zealand gardens that are toxic to dogs include:
• Karaka berries
• All cycads (every part of the plant is toxic, including seeds, leaves and roots)
• Kowhai seeds and seed pods
• Oleander
• Foxglove
• Yew
• Lily species
• Rhododendron and azalea
• Autumn crocus
• Some mushrooms that appear in lawns and gardens
If you have cycads in your garden, consider removing seed pods before they ripen, as birds disperse them. Karaka berries also drop beneath trees and are spread by birds. After this experience we chose to remove the two Karaka trees from our property. We were very lucky that day — and that plant knowledge helped us act quickly. If sharing this helps even one dog avoid the same situation, it’s worth it.