Does your pup spend hours in the backyard, or loves sniffing everything around on your hikes? For dogs, it's fun to explore the world through their nose, and they'll often put anything they can find in their mouths. Unfortunately, this means that dogs are also at risk of ingesting poisonous plants.
There are several plants toxic to dogs, both indoors and out. Many of these plants contain toxins that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other serious symptoms.
To keep your pup safe, it's important to learn about the most common poisonous plants for dogs and take steps to remove them from your home or yard, or spot and avoid them on your walks.
We made a list of poisonous plants for dogs to keep your pup safe and healthy.
What plants are poisonous to dogs?
As a dog parent, it's worth checking out the list of poisonous plants for your pup and identifying the top 10 poisonous plants for dogs in your area to always be on the lookout. According to ASPCA, these are some of the most common poisonous plants:
- Aloe
Is aloe toxic to dogs? This healing plant for people is poisonous to pups. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and tremors.
- Amaryllis
Usually blooms in spring and can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and weakness
- Azalea
Are azaleas poisonous to dogs too? Unfortunately, this common and beautiful plant, if ingested, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and issues with blood pressure and can even be lethal in some cases.
- Calla Lily
Calla Lily is a strong oral irritant and can cause burning in a dog's mouth, drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
- Bird of Paradise
This plant will commonly cause oral irritation - followed by drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and issues swallowing.
- Daffodil
Daffodil, however pretty, can cause a drop in blood pressure, stomach issues, and arrhythmia.
- Daisy
Dasy can cause made it to the list of plants bad for dogs because of a wide range of symptoms it can cause - from skin reactions to stomach issues like diarrhea.
- Eucalyptus
This plant, if consumed, can cause excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, and weakness.
- Geraniums
Are geraniums poisonous to dogs? Yes, they are mildly toxic and can cause skin irritation and vomiting.
- Hyacinth
Another one of the flowers poisonous to dogs is hyacinth - eating it may cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors.
- Hydrangea
Are hydrangeas poisonous to dogs? Bright and pretty, hydrangea can cause vomiting, depression, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal disturbances.
- Iris
The most toxic part is the underground stem and is likely to cause lethargy, stomach issues and drooling.
- Mums
Are mums poisonous to dogs? All plants from the chrysanthemum family are poisonous to your dog. Some of the typical symptoms may include excessive drooling, lack of coordination, and vomiting.
- Morning Glory
Be very careful with this plant. It can cause severe vomiting and in some cases even hallucinations.
- Rhododendron
Rhododendron is one of the most toxic plants for dogs, even a little bit of it can cause coma or even death. Other symptoms include weakness, lethargy, vomiting, heart collapse, and paralysis.
- Jade
Jade can cause vomiting, slow down dog's heart rate and cause incoordination.
- Peace Lily
Are peace lilies toxic to dogs? Peace Lily can cause severe irritation to the dog's mouth, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
- Pothos
Are pothos toxic to dogs? This very common indoor and outdoor plant can cause very serious issues if ingested, and in severe cases can even lead to liver failure, so it's definitely high on the list of poison house plants for dogs. Other symptoms from ingesting pothos may include diarrhea and vomiting.
- Tomato plants
Ripe tomatoes aren't toxic, but unripe fruit and the plant are quite toxic. Symptoms include excessive drooling, weakness, and stomach issues.
Conclusion About Toxic Plants For Dogs
As a responsible dog owner, it's important to know what plants are poisonous for dogs and quickly identify the root cause if you notice any changes in your dog's behavior.
If you suspect your dog ingested any of the plants dangerous to dogs, it is important to seek professional help as soon as possible, even if your dog seems fine. Some symptoms may take a few days to appear. The same goes if your dog develops symptoms that may signal plant poisoning such as excessive drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or tremors. Do not "wait it out" especially if the symptoms worsen. As we see from the list, some of the plants have more severe symptoms than others and may even lead to permanent damage or death.
In some cases, after a day out, your dog may expose symptoms of overheating which sometimes are similar to plant poisoning. Learn more about overheating in dogs.
If you have any of these poisonous plants in your yard or your house and you have a pet, it is best to either remove them or make sure they are out of reach. If you suspect your dog ate a poisonous plant, call your veterinarian or local animal hospital immediately.