Toxic Plants your pets should AVOID!
Author: Courtney Date Posted:11 October 2017
When planning your garden or purchasing indoor plants, take care to avoid plants that can be poisonous or toxic to your furry friends. This list is not a complete one, but focusses on the more common plants found in Australian homes and gardens, that are toxic to dogs and cats. Unfortunately, some of the most beautiful and useful plants are deadly to our pets so it pays to be aware of the risks and keep your pets well away from them.
- Anemone or windflower (A. coronaria)
- Bulbs (onions, plus all the spring-flowering favourites, such as daffodils, tulips, jonquils, and snowdrops)
- Caladium bicolor (indoor foliage plant)
- Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis)
- Chalice vine (Solandra maxima)
- Chalice vine (Solandra maxima)
- Cherry tree (Prunus serrulata)
- Clematis (the large-flowered hybrids)
- Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster glaucophylla
- Cycads (seeds on female plants)
- Daffodils (Narcissus varieties)
- Daphne (various)
- Delphinums
- Devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum)
- Dicentra (Dicentra spectabilis)
- Dieffenbachia
- Euphorbias (poinsettias, Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii, etc)
- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
- Golden Robinia (R. pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’)
- Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis)
- Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
- Holly (llex varieties)
- Hydrangeas
- Indoor Plants: many are poisonous to pets, so it’s wise to keep all indoor plants out of reach of pets of all ages
- Iris
- Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum)
- Jasmine
- Lantana (L. camara, the common one)
- Lilac (Syringa varieties)
- Liliums: All parts of the plant are particularly toxic to kittens and cats, causing kidney failure and death; reactions are not quite so severe in dogs
- Mountain laurel (Kalmia varieties)
- Jasmine
- Lantana (L. camara, the common one)
- Lilac (Syringa varieties)
- Liliums: All parts of the plant are particularly toxic to kittens and cats, causing kidney failure and death; reactions are not quite so severe in dogs.
- Mountain laurel (Kalmia varieties)
- Mushrooms (not clear which ones)
- Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
- Oaks (Quercus varieties-the acorns are toxic to pets)
- Oleanders (Nerium oleander, Thevetia peruviana)
- Philodendron (including the popular Monstera!)
- Pine ((eg, savin, Juniperus sabina, also several others)
- Poinciana (not the tropical tree, but the shrub Caesalpinia pulcherrima)
- Potato plants and green potatoes
- Privet (Ligustrum varieties)
- Pyracantha
- Rhododendron (including azaleas)
- Rhubarb (primarily the leaves)
- Snowdrops & Snowflakes (Leucojum)
- Sweet peas
- Sciandra maxima (chalice vine)
- Stephanotis (Madagascar jasmine) (consumption of the seed pods is especially deadly to dogs)
- Strelitzias (Strelitzia reginae, S. nicolai)
- Toadstools
- Wandering Jew (Tradescantia albiflora)
Some edible plants, fruits and vegetables
Onions contain thiosulphate, which is highly poisonous to dogs and can cause haemolytic anaemia – the destruction of red blood cells. Please note garlic also contains thiosuplhate but in smaller amounts so is safe in small quantities, particularly when dried. Apple pips can be dangerous in large quantities and grapes and raisins can harbour a toxic fungus.
If your pet does come into contact with/eat any of these plants it is best to seek advice from your local Veterinarian as to what the best steps of treatment/action are!
