The Bitter Root is poisonous for both cats and dogs.
Typical symptoms include conjunctival injection, diarrhea, loss of coordination, slow heart rate and weakness.
Bitter Root is a flowering plant in the Gentianales order. It has a branching stem, milky sap appears on broken stems, no hair on the stems and hairs on the underside of the leaves. Due to the cardiac glycosides it contains, the plant is poisonous. The plant is widely seen across most of the United States and Canada.
The scientific name for this plant is Apocynum androsaemifolium. Additional name for this plant include Bitter-root, Catchfly, Common Dogbane, Dogbane Hemp, Fly-Trap, Flytrap, Honeybloom, Indian Hemp, Milk Ipecac, Milkweed, Mountain Hemp, Spreading Dogbane and Western Wallflower.
Image: Istock.com / Andrei Stanescu