Houseplants That Can Poison Pets: Be Careful!

Toxic Plants Can Be Anywhere

Poisonous plants might be lurking in your houseplant collection, and might be toxic to your pets! Find out what they are so you can keep your fur babies safe!

We have three little dogs in our family. And they are not just pets, they are members of our family!

We take good care of them and try to keep them safe and healthy. They get fed the best food and treats. We take them to the veterinarian for routine checkups, and for emergency care. They get regular baths to keep them clean and professional grooming to keep them cute. (We try to groom them ourselves sometimes. Poor pups!)

We also have lots of houseplants and a large yard and garden. We never stop to think that there might be some plants that are poisonous to dogs or cats lurking in our house or garden.

Check this out!

The ASPCA website has a list of 1,027 poisonous plants that are listed alphabetically and can be sorted and filtered by toxic/non-toxic plants and by dogs/cats/horses. They say that the top-searched poisonous plants are Sago Palm, Tulips, Azaleas, and Lilies.

There are over 700 houseplants that can produce enough toxic substances to poison your pet. Some might cause stomach upset and diarrhea, some are harsh enough to kill your pet.

Symptoms of Toxic Plant Poisoning

Sometimes your pet just eats the wrong plant. How do you know if they are poisoned from the plant?

There are definite symptoms to look out for if your dog has eaten a toxic plant. These include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Heavy drooling
• Difficulty breathing
• Inflammation of the skin and mouth

Emergency Steps If Your Pet Is Poisoned by A Toxic Plant

If you think your dog might have eaten anything poisonous, there are steps you can take:

• Remove the plant from the pet’s mouth. This is the most important step!
• Rinse the pet’s mouth with cool water.
• Observe the pet’s symptoms.
• Identify the plant if possible.
• Try to get a sample of the plant or vomit to take with you. This is useful for identifying the plant and the correct treatment for it.
• Call 1-888-426-4435 ASPCA’s Poison Control hotline or your own vet immediately.

List of Toxic Plants That Can Poison Pets

OK, here are some of the plants that are toxic to dogs and cats, along with the clinical signs of possible poisoning. I spent time on the ASPCA website researching the more common plants that we all might have around. I found that I have several. Yikes!

Here’s a list of 21 plants that are toxic to pets. I have added sample pictures of the plants to help you identify them.

Be on the lookout for them in your own home and garden! You might want to consider placing any toxic plants out of the reach of pets or children just to be safe. Hanging planters, vertical wall planters, on top of bookcases all work.

Houseplants That Can Poison Pets A – L

Aloe Vera

• The juice and sap are toxic to both dogs and cats.
• The gel is considered to be ok for the dog to eat.
• The clinical signs of poisoning include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea.

Amaryllis (Amaryllis spp.)

• It is Toxic to both dogs and cats.
• This is also known as Belladonna lily.
• The clinical signs include vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, anorexia, tremors.

Apple (includes crabapples)

• Apples are toxic to both dogs and cats, so try to keep them away from them.
• The stems, seeds, and leaves contain cyanide and can be especially toxic when wilting.
• This can cause brick red mucous membranes, difficulty breathing, panting, dilated pupils, and shock.

Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum)

• Toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include oral irritation, pain, and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus cv sprengeri)

• The entire plant and berries are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include allergic dermatitis with repeated dermal exposure.
• If your pet ingests the berries, it could result in gastric upset (vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea).

Azaleas (Rhododendron spp)

• Toxic to dogs and toxic to cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure.

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.)

• The entire plant is toxic to dogs and to cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, incoordination, dermatitis.

Common Ivy (Hedera helix)

• The leaves are toxic to both dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include breathing difficulties, rash, coma, and death.

Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans)

• Toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs of poisoning include vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, and hypersalivation.
• Cats will exhibit these plus dilated pupils.

Dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia)

• Both the juice and sap are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include oral irritation, intense burning, irritation, and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips, pain, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Dracaena (Dracaena spp)

• Both stems and leaves are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, and hypersalivation.
• Cats will exhibit these plus dilated pupils (cats).

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)

• Toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, weakness.

Jade plant (Crassula argentea)

• The entire plant is toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting, depression, incoordination.

Lilies (Liliaceae)

• Toxic to cats, non-toxic to dogs.
• Clinical signs include kidney failure in cats.

. . .

More Houseplants That Can Poison Pets M – Z

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa)

• Toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include prolonged depression, vomiting, incoordination, sleepiness or excitation, hypersalivation, dilated pupils, low blood pressure, low body temperature, seizure, coma, death (rare).

Narcissus (Narcissus spp)

• The bulbs are the most poisonous part of the plant and are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting, salivation, diarrhea.
• Large ingestions cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors, cardiac arrhythmias.

Philodendron (Philodendron spp)

• The entire plant is toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include oral irritation, pain, and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

• The plant is toxic to both cats and dogs, but its toxicity is generally over-rated.
• Clinical signs include irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

• Toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Sago Palm (Cycas revolute)

• The entire plant and seeds are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Clinical signs include vomiting, melena, icterus, increased thirst, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, bruising, coagulopathy, liver damage, liver failure, death.

ZZ plant (Zamioculcas)

• The entire plant is toxic to dogs and cats.
• The clinical signs include vomiting and diarrhea if ingested.

Houseplants That Can Poison Your Pets Are Very Common!

Now you know about a few houseplants that could be poison for your pets. Toxic plants could harm or kill them!

Check around your house to see if you have any of these. If you do, consider putting them in places where Fido or Jewel can’t reach them to taste the plants.

I just published a list of the houseplants that are safe for pets. They are all beautiful and easy to care for. Read it here.

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!