For many years I was an avid collector of houseplants.
Trips to the nursery were a common weekend activity, and I’d always return home with some kind of gorgeous vine, palm and lily.
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My apartment started to resemble a home jungle of the kind you find on Pinterest, and my plant children were thriving. It was wonderful.
Then, my partner and I adopted two criminally cute kittens.
On the day we picked them up, the volunteer asked if everything at home was prepped. “Food, toys, litter trays, litter?” We nodded along, eager to bring them home and shower them in cuddles. “And you don’t have any houseplants?”
Little did I (or my friends and colleagues) know that many, many common houseplants and flowers are toxic to cats and dogs.
So in an effort to keep my furry friends safe, I went to several vets and a plant poison author to find out which common house plants are toxic — and what to do if you suspect your cat or dog has eaten them.
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What plants are toxic to cats and dogs?
Turns out, hundreds of plants can be poisonous to pets, and many of these are found in and around our homes.
In fact, one of the experts I spoke to says when it comes to pets, there are no “safe” plants.
“When you look in textbooks about the poisonous principles of plants, each plant has the ability to poison a number of different systems in the body,” says veterinarian and vet clinic director Dr David Neck.
Paula Parker, an emergency vet and AVA president, says that although many plants are mild-to-moderate in terms of toxicity and can cause “mild” symptoms like gastrointestinal upset. When pets consume highly toxic plants it can be fatal — even if they only have a very small amount.
The following list contains 10 common plants and flowers toxic to cats and dogs. It’s by no means comprehensive, so if you have pets check out (and bookmark) this resource from American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
10 common plants toxic to dogs and cats
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Sources: Paula Parker, David Neck and Nicole O’Kane.
Other common toxic plants include, but are not limited to: holly, tulip, oleander, azalea, daffodil, carnations, chrysanthemum, corn plant, dumb cane, jade plant.
Foods to also be wary of include tomato leaves and stems, grapes and any derivatives (sultanas, raisins), onions, rhubarb leaves, avocado, macadamia nuts, garlic and walnuts.
Notes:
- This is not an exhaustive list.
- Plants have various names, so always check all names when assessing the safety risk.
- If you suspect your pet has ingested a toxic substance, take them to the vet immediately.
And don’t forget about extremely dangerous snail pellets, rat poison and human medications, such as anti-inflammatories and paracetamol.
“Keep them well away from pets and be very careful,” Dr Neck says. “Goodness knows how many times people have unwittingly left their medications around their pets.”
Are any plants safe for cats and dogs?
While there are plants with low toxicity (such as areca palm), they can still cause negative symptoms like gastrointestinal upset in dogs and cats.
As Dr Parker explains, it’s a case of whether your pet is prone to eating plants, where the plant is placed around the home, and whether it’s worth the risk.
As for 100 per cent safe, pet-friendly plants? Nicole O’Kane — author of Poisonous 2 Pets, a book endorsed by vets around Australia — explains there might not be any.
“I don’t believe in recommending ‘safe plants’ as there is increasing information coming out on new toxic plants each day, so one which may have been deemed ‘safe’, such as gardenias, are now considered to contain toxic principles,” O’Kane tells ABC Everyday.
“All plants should be treated with a healthy scepticism and you should be vigilant of your pets around any plants.”
Common poisoning symptoms in pets
The symptoms a cat or dog experience after eating toxic plants or foods depends on the toxin as well as the pet you have, their age, underlying medical conditions and how much they have consumed.
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“The classic symptoms include seizing or fitting, agitation or tremoring (if it’s affecting their nervous system), diarrhoea or vomiting, and drooling (this can be a sign of nausea if it’s affecting their gastrointestinal system),” Dr Neck says.
What to do if your pet eats toxic plants
If you suspect your cat or dog has ingested plant matter (or in any circumstance when your pet is sick), Dr Neck recommends following these steps. Remember: a small delay can be tragic.
Have this information ready when you call the vet:
- The breed, age, sex and weight of your pet
- The plant your pet has been exposed to (collect a sample of the plant, if possible)
- Specific information concerning the poisoning (for example, the amount of poison and time since exposure)
- The problems/symptoms your pet is experiencing
- Note: Do not induce vomiting unless told to do so by a vet.
“Calling the vet clinic is the first port of call,” he says. “This allows the clinic to get ready and means you’re minutes ahead when you arrive with your pet. It’s much better for us to know what’s coming than for it to burst in the front door.”
When it comes to handling poisoning in animals, vets generally try to sustain life while the dog or cat deals with the toxin itself.
“There’s rarely such a thing as an antidote — they live in the movies,” Dr Neck says. “Instead we focus on supportive therapy.”
This includes things like putting the animal on intravenous fluid to combat shock, providing respiratory support on a ventilator if they’ve stopped breathing, and controlling seizures by anaesthetising the animal.
If it’s safe to do so, vets may induce vomiting to get out the toxins. If not, they can anaesthetise the animal and wash out their stomach (gastric lavage).
Can you stop pets from eating plants?
Some people use pet deterrent sprays to repel dogs and cats from eating plants, but Dr Parker explains these products can be overly irritating and often don’t work.
“Generally we try to do positive training rather than negative consequence training,” Dr Parker says.
“There’s not a huge scientific evidence base to show pet deterrents are effective. But there is a big evidence base that support positive-training methods.”
This includes ensuring your pet has enough stimulation throughout the day and providing other objects they can safely chew on.
“Often, if pets are chewing on plants it’s a sign they don’t have anything more appealing,” Dr Parker says.
“That behaviour often tells us they’re bored or there’s something else going on.”
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