Plants Poisonous To Your Pet: Spring Edition

With spring comes flowers and growth in the garden. Make sure your pets are staying away from poisonous plants, both inside and outside your home.

At Steel City Emergency Vets in Birmingham, our goal is to keep your pet safe out of the emergency room. Part of that comes from identifying which plants are dangerous to your pet!

Avoid Poisonous Plants This Spring

Make sure you’re vigilant with your pets when it comes to plants. There are many plants that are poisonous for both dogs and cats, including:

Aloe Vera

They are moderately toxic to your pets, but they’re also a common houseplant. If you want to keep your aloe vera, keep your pets from chewing on them!

Symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Depression
  • Change in color of urine
  • Tremors (in more severe cases)

Begonias

These are toxic, but their most poisonous part is underground. If your dog or cat likes to dig, make sure you don’t have any begonias in your yard.

Symptoms include:

  • Burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, and lips
  • Excessive drooling
  • Vomiting
  • Kidney failure

Bulbs

The skin on bulbs is most dangerous to dogs who dig up bulbs this spring.

Watch bulbs like:

  • Tulips
  • Daffodils
  • Narcissus
  • Hyacinths

Symptoms include:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Buttercups

While their beautiful yellow color might remind you of beautiful meadows, they are toxic for dogs and cats.

Symptoms include:

  • Vomiting
  • Excessive drooling
  • Drunken walking
  • Anorexia

Daffodils

They are mildly toxic if ingested. We know that they are an extremely common plant for spring, so if you grab a bouquet, make sure your pet (and their face) can’t reach them.

Symptoms include:

  • Vomiting
  • Salivation
  • Diarrhea
  • Low blood pressure
  • Cardiac arrhythmias and abnormal breathing (in extreme cases)

Plants With Grayanotoxins

Grayanotoxins disrupt sodium channels that serve the skeletal and cardiac muscles. They can have mild to severe symptoms if your pet ingests them. Plants with grayanotoxins include rhododendron species and other plants from the Ericaceae family.

Symptoms include:

  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Cardiac arrest

Contact your emergency vets immediately if you think your pet has eaten grayanotoxins!

Hyacinths

They might be vibrant in color, but you’ll want to keep them away from your pet.

Symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Depression
  • Tremors

Jimson Weeds

Also called the devil’s trumpet, this plant is moderately toxic to pets. All parts of the plant are toxic, so keep your pet away!

Symptoms include:

  • Restlessness
  • Drunken walk
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Dry mouth
  • Respiratory failure (if not treated)

Lily Of The Valley (Convallaria Majalis)

This plant can cause severe levels of toxicity in your pets.

Symptoms include:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • A drop in heart rate
  • Severe arrhythmias
  • Seizures

Organic Fertilizers

Organic Fertilizers are something to think about, especially if your dog is a digger. Make sure they’re not getting into any fertilizers because, if ingested in large quantities, they can obstruct your dog’s stomach.

Symptoms include:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Pancreatitis

Sago Palms

Sago Palms are a highly toxic plant! This is one you want to make sure you avoid, especially because they are a common type of palm for Bonsai plants. The seeds and nuts are the most toxic part of the plant.

Symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Lethargy
  • Abdominal fluid collections
  • Jaundice
  • Black tar-like stool
  • Pain in the abdomen

If your pet ingests sago palm, contact your emergency vets immediately!

Don’t Risk It. Choose Steel City Emergency Vets!

This list is not all-encompassing. If you have other plants you’re worried about, check the Pet Poison Hotline!

If you think that your pet has ingested a poisonous plant, don’t wait for them to start showing symptoms. Bring your pet to Steel City Emergency Vets in Birmingham.

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