Poisonous Plants and Your Dog

Spring and summer have arrived in much of the world, so it's time to pay special attention to potentially poisonous plants and your dog. Although canines have a reputation for being carnivorous, many dogs enjoy chewing on greenery. It's not uncommon to see your dog chewing down grass or watch Fido grab a mouthful of leaves as you walk by a shrub on a morning stroll. However, some fauna is poisonous and even deadly. You must learn which ones pose a threat to your four-legged buddy.

 

Learning About Poisonous Plants and Your Dog 

Although the list of toxic plants is long, there are many common garden plants that you'll find around homes, in neighborhoods, and in parks that pose a significant danger to Fido. This article will explore the list of potentially dangerous plants that can harm your dog, which you might encounter.

 

Tomato Plant

Many dog owners are shocked to learn that a tomato plant is dangerous to dogs. If your canine ingests the plant's foliage, it can suffer weakness, drowsiness, rapid heart rate, confusion, dilated pupils, and gastrointestinal problems.

 

Aloe Vera

Although the aloe vera plant gel is treasured as a skin ointment and some people even buy aloe vera juice to treat a variety of ailments, the plant is poisonous to dogs. It can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, lethargy, and a complete shutdown of the central nervous system.

 

Amaryllis

The Amaryllis is treasured in the garden and also as an indoor holiday plant. However, it is very poisonous to dogs, especially the bulb of the plant.

Daffodil

Each spring, gardens come alive with the lovely yellow and white daffodil flowers. However, they are toxic to canines. When ingested, they can cause a drop in blood pressure, vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac arrhythmia, excessive salivation, and painful intestinal spasms.

 

Milkweed

Many cottage gardens have an abundance of milkweed to draw in butterflies, especially the lovely Monarch butterfly. However, the plant is highly toxic to dogs. It can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea. Most dogs who ingest the plant also have a weak pulse and dilated pupils. In many cases, the plant causes kidney and liver failure, which leads to rapid death.

 

Azalea

The lovely azalea is a flowering shrub that causes gastrointestinal upsets, discoordination, weakness, and a rapid heart rate. Depending on the amount ingested, it can easily lead to death.

 

Begonia

Many people favor flower baskets of begonias around the landscape. However, if ingested by a dog, the plant causes extreme oral irritation, excessive drooling, inflammation of the mouth, and vomiting.

 

Oleander

The oleander is a popular flowering shrub that is commonly used in landscapes, especially in tropical areas. However, all plant parts are highly poisonous and can easily prove fatal to the dog if ingested.


If you suspect that your dog has consumed any of the above flowers, you should contact your veterinarian immediately, even if your dog does not display immediate symptoms. Often poisonous plants take a while to impact the dog's system, so you should not wait to seek out medical care. Early treatment is often the difference between life and death.