Dog owners are being warned about allowing their dogs to go near the rapeseed plants. The bright yellow plant is a common sight to see across fields during the British Spring and Summer seasons.
However, as beautiful as they look, the plant could cause some serious harm to your pet. On a nine-page list of poisonous plants on the Dogs Trust website, rapeseed appears to be mentioned.
Although, as it isn't mentioned as a springtime danger on various other canine organisations, DevonLive spoke to Dogs Trust for confirmation. A Dogs Trust spokesperson confirmed that although many dogs may remain asymptomatic after coming into contact with rapeseed, it can be toxic if ingested.
Read more: 'Red flag' symptoms of ovarian cancer to watch out for
They said: "Our vet team have confirmed that many dogs may remain asymptomatic after coming into contact with rapeseed. However, if they ingest some, then they can develop gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal tenderness etc). Generally, these are mild in nature.
The spokesperson continued: “There have also been reports about skin burns that rapeseed may cause. This cutaneous reaction appears to occur when a dog runs through fields of rapeseed and can be severe but does not happen to every dog and is fortunately very rare."
“Although some of the signs can occur, they are not common and owners should not be unduly alarmed. However, if any dog owners are concerned about their dogs being in contact with or ingesting rapeseed, they should contact their vet.”
As there is a possibility that your dog can have a reaction to rapeseed, it's best to try and avoid taking your dog to a field full of the plant. However, if this is unavoidable, then it's best to keep a cautious eye on your pooch when walking them and contact your vet if you have any concerns.
