Pets and plants are alluring housemates, especially for the friendship and beauty they bestow. Some plants, however, are toxic to our furry friends, posing significant health risks when ingested. These plants harm your dog and cat's health, and you should avoid having them around your home.
1. Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)
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Endowed with a striking appearance, this popular ornamental plant is a silo of toxins. Sago Palm contains cycasin, which causes severe liver damage to cats and dogs. Ingestion could be fatal if not treated on time.
2. Lily (Lilium)
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Lilie is especially dangerous to cats; consuming them could result in kidney failure. Although it makes for an exquisite plant with a mood-calming fragrance, you may have to choose between keeping your furry friends or going with the lily.
3. Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane)
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Dumb Cane is a common houseplant with large variegated leaves. When dogs and cats chew on the leaves of this plant, they experience intense burning and swelling of the mouth, tongue, and lips.
4. Aloe Vera
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A highly beneficial plant to humans but dangerous to pets. The seemingly innocuous plant contains saponins which can result in vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors if consumed by your furry friends.
5. Philodendron
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Due to their attractive foliage, Philodendrons are a famous indoor plant capable of lifting the face of any space. However, its calcium oxalate constituent will cause oral irritation if ingested. Pets may also experience symptoms like difficulty swallowing and irregular breathing.
6. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
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Known on the street as Devil's Ivy, Pothos poison destroys your pet's cardiovascular health within minutes of ingestion. The leaves and even droppings from this plant cause sudden drooling, oral irritation, and breathing difficulty in pets.
7. Azalea and Rhododendron
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These striking flowering shrubs house a toxin known as grayanotoxins. Grayanotoxins instigate vomiting, weakness, and diarrhea which, when ingested, could be life-threatening.
8. Tulips and Daffodils
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Common springtime flowers are reputable for their brilliance and fragrance in any garden. Tulips and daffodils cause severe gastrointestinal upset in cats and dogs. In rare cases, consuming tulips and daffodils could result in heart failure.
9. Oleander
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An evergreen shrub with beautiful and soft-to-touch flowers that look harmless to sight, oleander is highly toxic to your furry friends. Every part of the oleander contains glycosides, from its leaves to its stem and flowers. Glycosides trigger heart failure in pets if ingested, and treatment options are often very limited.
10. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
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A familiar trailing vine often used as ground cover or in hanging baskets, this plant is dangerous to pets' health, and consumption could result in fatality. English Ivy is a storehouse of compounds known as triterpenoids saponins which are slightly present in aloe vera. When your dogs and cat consume this plant, they may experience gastrointestinal distress, difficulty breathing, and, if untreated, death.
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