Dog owners warned to watch out for poisonous plants as they have been linked to the deaths of several pets

Dog owners have been warned to be on the lookout for a plant that could harm their pets – after a spate of deaths in Northern Ireland was linked to the hemlock.

Often referred to by its longer name Hemlock Water Dropwort, the plant contains alkaloids that attack the nervous system and can cause respiratory distress, paralysis, and even death in pets.

It is also harmful to humans, with its roots being the most toxic part.

A dog fell ill and later died while walking in Lough Neagh, County Antrim, this month poisonous plant. Several other dog deaths have been reported in the area.

Pet owners are being warned to keep animals away from the hemlock after the deaths of several dogs in Northern Ireland were linked to it

The pictured white flowers up close

A wet spring is believed to have resulted in a bumper crop from the plant, which can grow to over 1.5 meters tall.

Hemlock has clusters of tiny white flowers on long stalks green leaves with red spots.

Arguably the most notorious of all poisonous plants, it was a recurring ingredient in Shakespeare’s potions and was used in executions in ancient Greece, most notably the execution of Socrates.

The plant belongs to the Apiaceae or umbellifer family and thrives well in the climate of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

There are concerns that it might find its way into the gardens of people who might confuse it with similar plants like the edible parsley.

A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said. An on-site inspection on May 23 had found “a large quantity of toxic but fairly common hemlock water droplets” and described them as “perhaps the most poisonous native plant.’

Since then, signs have been posted around the beauty spot to warn pet owners.

The hemlock’s poison causes the plant to give off a foul odor that botanists have likened to the smell of mouse urine.

They typically reach heights of between three and six feet, but some can be seen on roadsides and fallow land and have been much taller.

Back in March, a walker in Carbis Bay, Cornwall found roots, the most potent part, of the poisonous plant on the beach.