Your Pet: Snail bait is unseen hazard for dogs

Having a nice garden can be very soothing.

Flowers mixed in with lush greenery, and maybe a lawn, combine to create a serene environment that invites relaxation and reflection. Of course, we may not be the only creatures that appreciate such a nice environment.

It seems that a garden provides very attractive feeding grounds for many types of animals, and one of the more common types — and I might add ravenous, as well — is the snail. These little mollusks can munch through a plant, reducing it to mere twigs in no time.

Peggy knows firsthand about this problem.

For a while now, Peggy has been watching parts of her garden disappear as snails eat away. She is to the point where she wants to fight back. Peggy realizes there are snail baits that can be used in the yard to kill the little beasts, but she worries about hurting Gizmo, her 1½-year-old King Charles spaniel. Gizmo loves spending time in Peggy's garden.

Snail bait can be highly toxic to dogs. The most common brands contain metaldehyde, which, when ingested, initially causes nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. This can lead to severe retching and vomiting. These gastrointestinal signs are followed or occur concurrently with muscle rigidity and convulsions, leading to coma and, in some cases, death.

Obviously, this is a compound we do not want our dogs to eat! So then, what do we do about the snails?

There is another type of snail bait on the market that is far less potentially toxic to dogs. The active ingredient is iron phosphate. It works by desiccating the snails and is relatively safe for dogs, unless they eat a large amount. That amount would be far more than one would need to put out in the yard.

Unfortunately, when compared with metaldehyde-based snail baits, the iron phosphate products do not seem to work quite as well.

Personally, I do not use toxins for snail control in my yard. I have chosen a more natural route, which I realize is not available for everyone.

I use turtles. These fabulous little guys have so decimated the snail population in my yard that I seldom see any snails anymore.

Of course, snail control via turtle predation is not something everyone can do. You must have a yard that is escape-proof for the turtle, and depending on the species of turtle, they may not be able to handle our weather pattern year-round.

There are other predators.

Ducks make fabulous snail-eating machines, but they carry with them some requirements of their own. They also produce a large amount of messy feces that may not be entirely complementary to every yard.

Unfortunately, there really is no best case scenario when it comes to eliminating snails in every yard.

When you are lucky enough to care for a dog, you should avoid metaldehyde-based snail baits.

I have heard of dogs that love to eat snails. Maybe Peggy can entice Gizmo into expanding his cuisine. Snails are actually quite nutritious.

Talk about your win-win situation!

Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in Modesto. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.