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Plants That Are Toxic To Dogs

By Ed Frawley

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ingestion of the leaves and stems of several fruit trees are toxic to dogs

Many of us have houseplants as well as trees and shrubs in our yards. Some of these seemingly harmless plants can make our pets sick or even kill them if they eat the wrong parts. Below is a list of some possibly toxic plants and trees.

Outdoor Trees and Plants

Almond: Diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Apple: Leaves and stems can lead to shock, mouth inflammation, and a rapid increase in breathing.
Apricot: Stem, bark, and seed pits can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Azalea: all parts, mostly leaves can cause stomach irritation, abdominal pain, abnormal heart rate, and rhythm, convulsions, coma, and even death.
Balsam Pear: Diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Castor Bean: All parts of this plant can be toxic, especially the seeds if they are chewed. They can cause nausea, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, tenesmus, dehydration, shortness of breath, excessive thirst, weakness, muscle twitching, convulsions, and even coma.
Cherry: Rapid breathing, shock, mouth inflammation, and heart rate increase.
Creeping Charlie: All parts of this plant can cause drooling but is not usually fatal.
English Ivy: Stomach upset, hyperactivity, labored breathing, drooling, fever, thirst increase, pupil dilation, staggering, coma, and even death.
Ficus (Cuban Laurel): Stomach upset.
Ficus Lyrata (Fiddle-leaf): Stomach upset, irritated skin.
Hemlock: All parts of this plant, roots, and root stalks can cause dilated pupils, frothing at the mouth, spasms, restlessness, convulsions, and death (within 15 minutes to 2 hours).
Hyacinth: The bulbs, leaves, and flowers can cause colic, vomiting, and diarrhea, but is usually not fatal.
Hydrangea: The leaves and buds of this shrub can cause irritation and inflammation of the digestive tract, diarrhea, and bloody stool.
Japanese Plum: Diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Jasmine: convulsions and death.
Jimson Weed: All parts of this plant can cause rapid pulse, rapid breathing, dilated pupils, nervousness, twitching, frequent urination, diarrhea, depression, weight loss, weak pulse, convulsions, coma, and death.
Johnson Grass: The leaves and stems of young plants can cause breathing problems, severe anxiety, convulsions, coma, and death. There is an intravenous antidote to this toxin.
Lantana: The leaves and berries can cause sluggishness, weakness, and bloody diarrhea. In severe cases, death can occur in 2 to 4 days.
Nightshade: All parts of this plant can cause hallucinations, severe intestinal disturbances, diarrhea, drowsiness, numbness, dilated pupils, trembling, labored breathing, nasal discharge, rapid heartbeat, weak pulse, incoordination, paralysis, or severe shaking of the rear legs, bloat, and can be fatal.
Oak: Varied effects.
Peach: Diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Philodendron (Devil's Ivy): Upset stomach, convulsions, asphyxiation, death.
Pigweed: The leaves, stems, and roots of this plant can cause troubled breathing, trembling, weakness, coma, and death.
Pokeweed: All parts of this plant can cause colic, diarrhea, blood in stool, anemia, and possible death.
Rhubarb: Leaves of this plant can cause staggering, trembling, breathing difficulties, weakness, diarrhea, increased drinking and urinating, and even death.
Tomato Plants and Green Tomatoes
Virginia Creeper: Varied effects.
Wild Cherry: Diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
Yew (American, English, and Western): Breathing problems, trembling, weakness, heart problems, stomach upset, and very sudden death.

Houseplants

Aloe Vera: Diarrhea
Asparagus Fern: Vomiting, respiratory problems, kidney failure, tremors, abdominal pain.
Caladium: Mouth irritation, stomach upset, asphyxiation, tremors, seizures, death.
Colocasia (Elephant's Ear): Mouth irritation, stomach upset, asphyxiation, tremors, seizures, death.
Diffenbachia (Dumb Cane): Mouth irritation, stomach upset, asphyxiation, tremors, seizures, death.
Mum (Pot and Spider): Skin irritation.
Mistletoe: Varied effects.
Philodendron (Saddle Leaf, Split Leaf): Mouth irritation, stomach upset.
Poinsetta: Mouth irritation, stomach upset.
Umbrella Plant: Vomiting, respiratory problems, kidney failure, tremors, abdominal pain.

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Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder of Leerburg. He has been training dogs since the 1950s. For 30 years, Ed bred working bloodline German Shepherds and has produced over 350 litters. During this time, Ed began recording dog training videos and soon grew an interest in police service dogs. His narcotic dogs have been involved in over 1,000 narcotics searches resulting in hundreds of arrests in the state of Wisconsin. Ed now solely focuses on producing dog training courses with renowned dog trainers nationwide. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.