PLANTS POISONOUS TO DOGS AND CATS

Plants poisonous to dogs and cats

Whether it’s lilies on a dining room table or a monstera in the living room, plants can add a bright abundance to any space. However, they can also be harmful to dogs and cats. Nearly half (40%) of dog owners say their dog has had a negative reaction from eating an indoor or outdoor plant*.

Typically this results in discomfort and diarrhea, but 29% of pet parents reported that their pet threw up after ingesting a plant.

Plants poisonous to dogs and cats

Pet Poison Helpline receives over 2800 calls a year regarding plant exposures in or around the home. Of those calls, 66% are about dogs and 34% are about cats. The majority of these calls come from pet owners in the state of California.

Because indoor and outdoor plants are an essential part of any household, it’s important to be familiarized with the beloved but potentially toxic plants to pets.

Pet Poison Helpline Tabatha Regehr, DVM, helped to categorize each plant’s toxicity as mild-moderate or severe.

Of the nearly 200 plants, Pet Poison Helpline receives the most calls about the following:

Lilies
Tulips
Daffodils
Rhododendrons
Kalanchoe
Philodendrons
Yew
Poinsettia
Begonias
Aloe Vera

Plants poisonous to dogs and cats

The full list here is intended to be a helpful resource to pet parents and be educational. Just because monsteras, for example, are toxic to dogs and cats doesn’t automatically mean that someone shouldn’t have one in their house.

It’s beneficial to learn about which to watch out for and put them in hard to reach spots. However, if you suspect your pet has ingested a plant that could make them sick, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control service.

There are also plenty of plants that are perfectly safe for pets. If you have a dog or cat that tends to munch on your household greenery, consider one of the following options as a safety precaution. The ASPCA does not recommend that you let your cat or dog eat a plant, regardless of its toxicity status.

Plants safe for dogs:

Polka Dot Plant
Haworthia
Swedish Ivy
Christmas Cactus
Spider Plant
Cast Iron Plant
Money Tree
African Violet
Boston Fern
Prayer Plant

Plants safe for cats:

Bamboo
Moth Orchid
Bromeliads
Burro's Tail
Lipstick Plant


Plant information provided by Pet Poison Helpline and *A 2020 survey of 2,000 dog owners in the US by CivicScience

Image credits - Pixabay License Free for commercial use, No attribution required - https://pixabay.com/photos/schnauzer-smelling-the-flowers-735412/

CAN DAFFODILS KILL YOU?

HOW POISONOUS IS THE LILY OF THE VALLEY?

IS FORSYTHIA POISONOUS?