24 Common Plants Poisonous to Pets

Pet owners know that dogs and cats often have a penchant for eating strange things. Cats often gravitate toward plastic or wool, and many a dog will chew on whatever it can get its chops around. And then there are plants. Whether garden plants, houseplants, plants in the wild, or flowers from the florist–plants can provide a tasty and tempting diversion for animals, one that can be at odds with your pet’s health.

In order to prevent poisoning by cut flowers or house plants, avoid placing toxic ones in your home where pets may be able to access them. Or better yet, avoid buying flowers and plants that are known to be toxic. Outside is trickier, especially if your dog or cat has a wide range to roam.

For dogs, the animal science department at Cornell University suggests adding bran flakes to his food or switching her diet to one higher in vegetable fibers to deter cravings for vegetation. The only other thing to do is to watch your dog’s behavior when walking outside, and try to prevent them from munching on vegetation unless you know it is harmless. When you see symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, difficult breathing, abnormal urine, salivation, weakness, and any other abnormal condition, take your pet to the veterinarian because he may be poisoned.

You can use this list, which has been compiled using information provided by Cornell University and the ASPCA, as a guide to what plants and flowers to keep your eyes open for. The list is by no means exhaustive, there are a number of other toxic plants, but this covers the top offenders. (For a complete list, visit the ASPCA website.)

Aloe vera
Great for burns, toxic to cats and dogs. Who knew? If you keep an aloe plant on hand for burns, make sure to keep it out of reach for your pets.
• Symptoms: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea, anorexia, tremors, change in urine color.

Amaryllis
Pretty, common as a garden ornamental, and a very popular potted bulb for the holidays…and toxic to both cats and dogs. Be careful with the bulbs, they contain the most toxins.
• Symptoms: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia, tremors.

Learn how to make a Poison Safety Kit for Pets

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Sandi O.

12:15PM PDT on Apr 7, 2013

Great information...must just get a shovel and dig up my whole garden!

April 7
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Sonia M.

2:26PM PDT on Mar 10, 2013

Great post,actually helpful.Thanks for sharing

March 10
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Libby C.

1:52AM PST on Jan 17, 2013

GREAT POST, WILL SHARE ON FB!

January 17
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Terry V.

3:43PM PST on Jan 7, 2013

thanks

January 7
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Duane B.

8:11AM PST on Dec 31, 2012

Thank you for sharing.

December 31
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maemie f.

10:00AM PDT on Oct 8, 2012

We have recently acquired some new plants, and wonder how to keep two tall dogs from reaching up and eating then. By the way, the plants aren't poisonous. is there something that would deter the dogs from eating the soil or the plants?

October 8
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Patty L.

9:19PM PDT on Jul 26, 2012

July 26
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Past Member .

1:54AM PDT on May 6, 2012

Crystal T asked for a list of safe plants. I asked my vet clinic about that as well as doing research and the truth is that there's not a lot of information even for the pros. We couldn't find ANYTHING about herbs and spices that were safe for dogs and very little about definitely safe plants for either the house or garden.

The ASPCA website has a database of (non-)toxic plants for dogs & cats. This is "to our best knowledge" though. New varieties of a species may turn out to be toxic when the others aren't. Vice versa happens too: all the onion family is poisonous, but most dogs do well with a bit of cooked garlic in their food. It helps them fight off fleas, ticks & worms.

I can tell you that our Basset Fauve loved daylilies. Fuchsias are also non-toxic. To be honest, I'm not worried now that our youngest dog is 3. She's more likely to dig than eat. But we are cautious about anything that looks like one of her toys. Sticks from fruit trees are mildly toxic. She's chewed on many but we take them away as soon as they start stredding. Any round fruit is grown where she can't easily get to it, because she's crazy for tennis balls.

Hope this helps.