Puppies and Yew berries

[Random789]

I know that Yew is very poisonous, and that one of the most poisonous parts of the plant is the hard green seed in the middle of the berries. I also know that the berries themselves (minus the seed) are not poisonous and that the seed can pass through undigested (and therefore without causing illness) provided that it is not broken.

There are masses of berries coming down from a Yew in my garden, which I'm removing as much as is practical. A month ago I saw my puppy eat one, before I became so sensitive to the issue. I spoke to the vet about it and we kept an eye on him and all was well. It is possible that he has eaten them on more than one occasion without me noticing.

I have now become much more sensitive about it, and am afraid to let him in the garden at all without monitoring this really closely. However, I have lived 20 years in this house, with this tree, and with dogs, without anything bad happening -- and without even being aware of the problem until recently.

My question is: How worried are other dog owners about Yew poisoning? Is there anyone reading this who has a dog and a yew tree? How concerned/cautious are you about it?

Many thanks.

Anyone with a yew tree and a dog who has any thoughts about this?

Sorry Random I can’t help with this, we got rid of our massive, berry-dropping yew before the dog came along largely because of the mess the brown decomposing berries caused being dragged into house on toddler feet… But bumping for you as we are still surrounded by yew in this area and although I was aware it’s poisonous I’ve never really noticed the dog showing any interest.

Thanks for the bump! I guess that in a month or so my puppy with ignore them, so hopefully the concern will lessen.

I've just ordered a garden vacuum on amazon to minimise the danger.

An additional worry in my garden is that the berries fall on the drive and do the car sometimes runs over them and cracks the seeds open, making it much more likely that they will cause toxicity if swallowed.