THE glorious summer is now most definitely over and autumn has arrived – the nights will soon be drawing in, leaves will soon be turning, and seasonal plants will be in full fruit – posing a threat to our curious pets.

While most plants are harmless to our pets, some that flower around this time are potentially poisonous and can cause serious harm if eaten by inquisitive cats and dogs.

Pet owners can take steps to keep their pets safe.

PDSA vet Rebecca Ashman explained that most pets, especially young animals, are eager to explore new things, but sometimes they accidentally swallow objects when they only meant to investigate them as they explore with their mouths.

She added: “Eating parts of certain plants can cause sickness and consuming large amounts can even prove fatal – so it’s really important for owners to familiarise themselves with potentially poisonous plants.”

Acorns (Quercus) are highly toxic for pets if eaten due to tannic acid, which affects the liver and kidneys. Unripe, green acorns, are more toxic that others.

Horse chestnut trees have many poisonous parts, such as the bark, leaves, flowers and, of course, conkers. Not only can the conkers cause harm if eaten in large quantities, they can also block a pet’s intestines, which could be fatal.

Yew trees (Taxus baccata) are commonly found in churchyards and can be extremely toxic to pets. Every part of the tree is poisonous and eating just a handful of the leaves can be very serious.

Autumn crocuses (Colchicum autumnale) have pale mauve, pink or white flowers in autumn and all parts of the plant are potentially toxic.

Rebecca said: “We can protect our pets in our own garden by checking that any plants we have already are safe and speaking to garden centre staff before planting any new or unusual plants.

“When we’re out and about we need to keep an eye on what our pets are investigating. If your dog is a bit of a scavenger that often eats things when out on a walk it may be worth investing in a basket muzzle as well as attending training classes if your dog won’t come back when called."

Signs of poisoning can include:

Ssickness

Diarrhoea

Drooling

Abdominal pain

Shaking and breathing problems.

Anyone who suspects that their pet has been poisoned needs to contact their vet for advice immediately.