Woman Issues Serious Warning to Pet Owners After the Mulch in Her Garden Left Her Dog Hospitalized

Gardening practices are essential for building a thriving and healthy garden space outdoors and are a common occurrence in most American homes. However, one homeowner's ordeal with a common gardening item has traumatized her for life and almost killed her pet dog. Amanda from Alabama, who goes by @smalltownalabamagirl on TikTok, issued a public service announcement for all gardeners with pets. In a viral clip, she narrated her entire experience that landed her dog in the hospital with an expensive surgery on top. 

Homeowner warns about mulch in gardens

In gardening methods and landscaping, mulch is largely used to enrich the soil with nutrients and also control weed growth. Hence, it is a beneficial practice that aids gardeners in tending a lush garden, per Garden Design. But never had Amanda predicted that it could risk the life of her beloved dog. In the video posted to her TikTok, she explained how her decision to add mulch to her garden last year became a reason for regret and contemplation. One morning before leaving, Amanda noticed one of her dogs acting strange and lethargic. Concerned, she urged her husband to take their dog to the vet. “Took him to the vet, and got a phone call saying that he had some large mass in his stomach,” she recalled. 

However, they could not figure out the source of the mass in the dog’s stomach. Several X-ray tests and examination tests were conducted, but in vain. The vet decided to perform an exploratory surgery and collected a bag full of debris from the pet’s stomach. The surgery was expensive for the pet owners, but revealed the mass had contents like plastic bits, metal pieces, and others. “[The vet] called me and he said, ‘Where could your dog have gotten pieces of plastic, pieces of metal, twine in his stomach?’” Amanda disclosed. Perplexed by the discovery, she and her husband got to work. They inspected their yard for any possible sources but could not find anything until their eyes fell on the mulch.

“We couldn’t find anything in the yard, so we started messing around in the mulch. Well, guess what? We started finding all kinds of pieces of plastic, metal, just in the mulch we had put down,” Amanda said. Taking a lesson from the experience, Amanda and her husband took extra caution this year and skimmed through the mulch they were about to use for plastic and metal bits that were toxic to their dogs. Surprisingly, they found similar and random plastic bits, metal pieces, and whatnot. Despite changing brands and using an in-house brand from Lowe’s, the pet owners faced a similar problem. In the caption, she wrote, “Learn from my life and save yourself money and possibly heartache.”

Viewers want accountability from sellers

Amanda’s post received 5,400 hearts and was acknowledged by several people with concerns about mulch sellers. “Mulch companies need to be held accountable. There should be some regulations, inspections,” penned @robinsryzereveals, while @teresalimon16 revealed, “I stopped using mulch and started using ground cover plants, better for the soil and looks prettier.” @mamaluluscooking suggested, “Always buy fresh mulch from landscape companies.” 

According to a study by Washington State University, mulch made of recycled materials and affordable construction debris is likely to contain metals and plastic bits that are later dyed to resemble forest remnants. It is important to inspect the contents of a mulch to ensure the health of your garden as poor-quality ones may be hard to break down in the soil. 

You can follow @smalltownalabamagirl on TikTok for more videos. 

More on GreenMatters

Landscaping Expert Calls Out a Popular Mulching Trend — Says It Is a ‘Literal Tree Abuse’

These Blooms May Look Beautiful, but They Are Deadly for Your Dog

Everything You Need to Know About the Back to Eden Gardening Method