Toxic Plants for Dogs

Many plants are harmless to humans but toxic or highly toxic to our furry friends. It's important to know them to avoid keeping them at home or letting our dog play in gardens where they're planted. Here we show you the most common ones.

Potentially Toxic Plants for Dogs

Every plant has its own toxicity levels through contact with a dog or through ingestion. Not all are necessarily fatal, but they are very harmful and damaging.

In every case, seeing a vet is absolutely necessary.

Euphorbia pulcherrima

Also known as the poinsettia or Christmas flower. Very commonly seen in parks, roundabouts, and sidewalks in any town or city, mainly during the Christmas season, used decoratively/traditionally.

Highly toxic to dogs — contact with its sap can cause irritation and rashes, and much more serious damage in the eyes and nose. If eaten, they'll suffer severe stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Generally, it's not a plant that draws a dog's attention, but we all know how it goes while playing...

Hedera Helix

Also known as common ivy. Very commonly seen in parks, gardens, and forests, since it's widely used for decoration and also grows naturally.

Despite how easy it is to find anywhere, it's very poisonous to dogs. The plant overall has medium-level toxicity, causing skin irritation and/or rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, and more serious problems if eaten. But its berries are much more poisonous than the plant itself, presenting extreme toxicity for our dogs.

Hydrangea Macrophylla

Also known as common hydrangea. Very commonly seen in absolutely every public park and garden, since it's used in large amounts as a decorative flowering plant.

It's unlikely your dog hasn't played near this type of plant, poisonous to them, more than once. Although contact seems to have few effects, ingesting it causes lack of coordination, vomiting, diarrhea, spasms, and severe abdominal pain. Its sap can cause skin irritation and ulcers.

Syringa

Also known as common lilac. Like many of the plants mentioned above, lilacs are widely used as flowering, decorative plants in most parks.

Although contact doesn't seem to have effects, ingestion causes serious digestive issues, resulting in severe stomach pain. Also vomiting, tremors, diarrhea... Each lilac variety has different toxicity, but the most common ones produce the effects we describe.

Epipremnum Aureum

Also known as Pothos. This is a very common plant for indoor decoration, since it doesn't need much light.

Contact doesn't show poisoning symptoms, but simply brushing against its sap or chewing on it a bit brings on the first symptoms. Severe irritation and ulcers — if ingested, it causes serious stomach problems, diarrhea, vomiting, and even arrhythmias and/or coma. It's not at all recommended to have one of these plants at home if you have a dog.

Hyacinthus

Also known as common hyacinth. Widely used in most Spanish parks as a decorative plant, coming in different colors and even flower shapes.

The whole plant is toxic, but its bulb concentrates the highest amount of toxins, making it very poisonous for dogs. Symptoms from ingestion include severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and even death. We should avoid letting our dogs play near this type of plant, simply as a precaution.

Geranium

Also known as geranium. Very commonly used on balconies and facades as a decorative plant. Also used in many parks and gardens. Its flowers can come in different colors, though its structure is always similar.

Ingesting any part of the plant is toxic to our dogs, causing abdominal pain, tremors/seizures, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. Contact doesn't show serious symptoms, though it sometimes causes skin irritation.

These are perhaps, along with Mexican marigold, the most common plants highly toxic to dogs, through contact or ingestion. Though these obviously aren't all of them, since there are many more, perhaps less common in parks and gardens. Some of these include:

• Chrysanthemums
• Daffodils
• Azaleas
• Oleanders
• Lilies
• Tulips
• And a long etc....

Symptoms in Dogs From Playing With or Eating a Toxic Plant

Depending on the plant, on our dog or puppy, and on whether it just played with it or ate it... symptoms can be mild or very serious. Some of these symptoms can be confused with other illnesses, so it's important to know whether our dog has previously been playing with any poisonous plant.

If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog and know or suspect it may have been near one of the plants we're about to discuss, you should see a vet urgently for proper treatment.

• Dilated pupils and/or excessive drooling
• Skin rashes/irritation
• Tremors, dizziness, lack of coordination
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Strange behavior or other unusual symptoms

The symptoms mentioned are the initial ones — if not properly treated with the right medication, our dog could even die. Since each plant has different toxicity, if we can identify the poisonous plant it's been playing with, it'd be excellent for our vet to know how to act.