7 Plants That Are Toxic to Your Pets
Having a garden filled with plants, flowers, and herbs can be a wonderful way to relax, but if you have pets at home, you need to be careful about what plants you choose. If any of these plants will be in an area accessible to your cats and dogs, you might want to either select only non-toxic varieties or keep them out of reach.
1. Aloe Vera
This is one of the best plants to have at home for natural and alternative health purposes, as it is wonderful for sunburns, itchy skin, and other skin irritations, but it can be poisonous to your pets. It is not the plant itself, but the gel inside the aloe vera leaves that you need to keep them away from. If your cat or dog ingests the gel, they might experience vomiting, tremors, diarrhea, and even depression. Keep this one away from your pets if you decide to have it in your garden.
2. Daffodil
Daffodils are beautiful, happy flowers, but they aren’t so happy for your pets. Daffodils aren’t instantly fatal to pets, but they can make them ill if cats or dogs ingest parts of the plant. That is because this flower contains a chemical compound called lycorine, which can bring on vomiting and cause dehydration from that vomiting. This is more of a concern with the bulb of the daffodil.
3. Lily of the Valley
If you have ever seen the television show Breaking Bad, you have probably heard of Lily of the Valley. This is a known toxic plant, not just to animals, but to humans as well. You definitely don’t want this plant in your yard, as ingesting it can cause your pets to experience diarrhea, vomiting, and more serious symptoms like seizures and heart rhythm issues.
4. Ivy
Another plant that is toxic to pets is ivy, such as English Ivy and California Ivy. While it might not be as big of an issue since dogs and cats don’t usually want to eat ivy growing up a wall, it is still something to be aware of if your animals are outside unsupervised. Like many other toxic plants, this can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
5. Poinsettia
Poinsettias are wonderful to have in and out of the home, especially during the holidays, but they can be toxic to your pets. It is not quite as dangerous as some people think, but eating the plant could cause your cats especially to experience some physical discomfort. Just to be safe, keep your potted poinsettia high on a shelf where the pets won’t get to it.
6. Chrysanthemum
There are multiple chemical compounds in chrysanthemums that can be potentially toxic to your pets, including pyrethrins and lactones. These are bad for the gastrointestinal tract of cats and dogs, leading to diarrhea, vomiting, and possible coordination issues.
7. Tomato Plant
If you are going to plant fruits and vegetables in your garden, make sure you keep an eye on your dogs. Tomatoes are known to cause discomfort to dogs especially, including stomach discomfort and diarrhea, weakness, slow heart rate, and sometimes behavioral changes.
In most cases, pets are okay around the plants and flowers you have in your garden, as they won’t be munching on them, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Try to keep these toxic plants out of the reach of your dogs and cats.
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