House Plants That Can Harm Your Dogs
Anyone who has a dog knows they can’t help getting into your plants. If you’re a gardener and a dog owner, you need to know which houseplant can harm your pets, especially your curious canine friends.
That’s why today we’re going to take a look at the 10 most dangerous house plants for dogs. Some perfectly ordinary house plants can actually be poisonous for puppies, and there’s a good chance your dogs won’t know any better than to sniff and chew.
Familiarize yourself with these 10 most dangerous house plants and you’ll save yourself a world of trouble and an expensive veterinary bill.
Here is our list of house plants poisonous to dogs.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a favorite plant of humans because it has so many good properties. If you have a sunburn, there’s nothing quite like a soothing bottle of Aloe Vera. However, it’s not so pleasant for dogs. The Aloe Vera plant is actually quite dangerous, as its leaves contain a type of substance that can be harmful to your dog when ingested. Not only that, but if your dog decides to eat any part of the Aloe Vera plant, it can suffer from major problems with its digestive system.
Asparagus Fern
The asparagus fern, or emerald fern as it is sometimes known, contains a very dangerous toxin known as sapogenin, and this is dangerous for cats and dogs. These are popular hanging plants but can sometimes reach low enough for a dog or cat to start nibbling. If your dog or cat eats the berries of the asparagus fern, they will surely suffer diarrhea, crippling abdominal pain, and an ugly inflammation of the skin. If your pets get into this stuff, you’ll know pretty quickly.
Devil’s Ivy
This is one of those plants that can cause problems no matter which part of it is eaten. Devil’s ivy is typically found outside growing along fences, and even if your dog eats the roots, leaves, or seeds they can suffer problems like vomiting and irritation of the mouth and tongue. Every single part of this plant is poisonous, and even just a few bites can give your dog diarrhea and can ultimately lead to liver failure.
Dumb Cane
The dumb cane plant is wildly popular as a corner plant. Big leaves, nice greens, and a great way to fill out a space. However, dogs and cats can be poisoned by the harmful toxins inside of the dumb cane plant. Your dog could suffer swelling of the mouth, difficulty swallowing, a dangerous increase in salivation, and even breathing difficulties. In the rarest case, chewing on the dumb cane plant could straight-up kill your dog
Elephant Ear
The elephant ear plant contains chemicals very similar to those found inside of the dumb cane plant and therefore can cause similar symptoms when eaten by a dog: excess salivation, drooling, vomiting, and problems swallowing. Your dog probably won’t die if it chews a bit of elephant ear, but it’s still something you don’t want to be planting outside if your dog will be spending time in the yard.
Ivy
Poison ivy is obviously dangerous to everyone, you and your dogs and your cats. But even normal ivy, like the stuff that grows in and out of your wooden fence, can be harmful to dogs. Ivy is a great way to keep your neighbors from looking through your fence, but too much contact with regular ivy can give your dog a rash. And if your dog eats the ivy, it can develop serious breathing problems and even become paralyzed.
Jade
The jade plant, also known as the friendship tree, baby jade, the Japanese rubber plant, or simply the jade tree, is dangerous for your dog. There are toxins inside the plant that can slow your dog’s heart rate, cause it to vomit, and make it generally very sick. These are appealing indoor plants but should not be anywhere within the reach of a curious dog.
Lilies
Everyone loves lilies. These beautiful plants come in all shapes and sizes, but some types of lilies can actually be toxic to both cats and dogs. Specifically, the peace lily is wildly toxic to both dogs and cats. It’s also known as the Mauna Loa. Then there are the stargazer lilies and the Easter lilies, which are toxic to cats but OK for dogs.
If your dogs get into the poisonous peace lilies, they could end up vomiting and having issues swallowing because their lips and tongue will get irritated. If you don’t want your dogs puking on your carpets, be sure to avoid peace lilies in the house.
Sowbread
Sowbread isn’t super popular amongst casual gardeners, but it is widely available at home improvement stores and flower shops. If your dog gets a hold of sowbread leaves or tries to eat the entire planet, the result will be drooling, diarrhea, an abnormal heartbeat, seizures, and in very serious cases, death.
ZZ Plant
The ZZ plant isn’t as dangerous as some of the others on our list, but it can still cause diarrhea and vomiting, which is very uncomfortable for your dog. The ZZ plant isn’t even that appealing, so it’s best to just leave it out of the equation altogether.
How To Have Plants Safely
Even though these plants aren’t good for your dogs, there are ways to have plants in your house without worrying about your dog getting into them. One of the best ways is to use hanging planters, like the ones we found here. It gets the plant off of the floor, or table or shelf and into a safe spot where the animals can’t get to them.
Final Thoughts
If you already have a full garden or a lot of plants in your house and in your yard and will be adopting a dog, you really should take a quick inventory and cross reference your plants to see which are harmful and which aren’t. It’s honestly not worth getting your dog sick just to display some of your favorite flowers. And that goes for your cat too!
There are a lot of other great ideas that won’t get your dog sick. You can try burro’s tail, ponytail palm, bamboo, hens and chicks, blue echeveria, Christmas cactus, Boston fern, African violet, baby rubber plant, and baby’s tears. There are plenty of great plants that are harmless to your dog, your cat, and even your children.