Plants toxic to dogs: a list by location, with the risks
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
If your dog has just chewed or swallowed a plant you are unsure about, take whatever is left out of its mouth, keep a piece of the plant (or photograph it, with its flowers or berries), note the time, and call your vet or an animal poison helpline — in the US the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply), in the UK Animal PoisonLine, 01202 509 000, in France the CNITV in Lyon, 04 78 87 10 40. Do not make your dog vomit yourself: that is the vet’s call. One reassuring point: most plants a dog chews on cause no more than a passing tummy upset. A few, however, affect the heart, the liver or the kidneys even in small amounts, and those are the ones worth learning to recognise — which is what the table below is for.
Contents · 6 sections
Why some plants are dangerous to dogs
Plants defend themselves against grazing animals with chemicals. For dogs, only a handful of families really matter: cardiac glycosides (oleander, lily of the valley), which disrupt the heart rhythm; alkaloids (yew, autumn crocus), which act on the heart or block cell division; calcium oxalate crystals (dieffenbachia, philodendron), which burn the mouth; the grayanotoxins of azaleas and rhododendrons; and toxins that attack the liver (cycasin in sago palms) or the cells lining the gut (ricin in castor beans).
These are not theoretical worries. A study by Caloni and colleagues, published in 2013 in the Veterinary Record, analysed twelve years of calls to the Milan poison control centre in Italy (see the study): dogs were the species most often involved (61.8% of plant-related calls), and the plants most frequently implicated were the sago palm (Cycas revoluta), poinsettia, hydrangea, oleander, rhododendrons and Prunus species (cherry laurel, stone-fruit pits). Most exposures (73.8%) caused only mild to moderate signs, but among the cases with a known outcome, 10.6% were fatal.
Table: the plants to know, place by place
This table sorts plants by where your dog is likely to meet them. Severity describes the type of risk, not a dose: if one of the plants marked “severe” is involved, call even if your dog seems fine.
| Where | Plant | Toxic part | Main effect | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoors | Sago palm (cycad) | Whole plant, especially the seeds | Liver damage, vomiting, neurological signs | Severe |
| Indoors | Dieffenbachia, philodendron, pothos | Leaves, stems | Burning mouth, heavy drooling, swelling | Moderate |
| Indoors | Poinsettia | Sap | Mouth and stomach irritation | Mild |
| Indoors | Lily of the valley (cut flowers) | Whole plant, vase water | Heart rhythm problems | Severe |
| Indoors | Lilies (bouquets) | Whole plant, pollen | In dogs mostly gut upset; in cats, kidney damage | Moderate (dog), severe (cat) |
| Garden | Oleander | Whole plant, even dried | Heart problems, vomiting | Severe |
| Garden | Yew | Needles, bark, seeds (the red flesh of the berry is the only non-toxic part) | Heart problems, sometimes sudden | Severe |
| Garden | Azalea, rhododendron | Leaves, flowers | Vomiting, drooling, weakness, heart problems | Moderate to severe |
| Garden | Castor bean plant | Seeds (and castor-meal fertilisers) | Severe, sometimes bloody vomiting and diarrhoea | Severe |
| Garden | Cherry laurel, Prunus pits | Leaves, crushed pits | Gut upset, breathing difficulty with large amounts | Moderate |
| Garden | Tulip, daffodil, narcissus bulbs | Mainly bulbs | Vomiting, diarrhoea | Mild to moderate |
| Garden | Hydrangea | Leaves, flowers | Gut upset | Mild |
| Walks | Autumn crocus (meadows in autumn) | Whole plant, corm and seeds | Vomiting, diarrhoea, then multi-organ damage | Severe |
| Walks | Yew (parks, churchyards) | Needles, seeds | Heart problems | Severe |
| Walks | Acorns | Acorns (especially green ones) | Gut upset, rarely kidney damage | Mild to moderate |
The sago palm deserves a special mention, because it is sold everywhere as a house or patio plant. A study by Ferguson and colleagues, published in 2011 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, followed 34 dogs poisoned by cycads in Louisiana (see the study): half of them died or were euthanised. The authors note that activated charcoal given at the first visit was associated with longer survival — one more reason to call early rather than wait for symptoms.
Lilies: above all a danger for cats
Lilies deserve their bad reputation, but mainly for cats: in cats, even a small amount, including pollen licked off the coat, can seriously damage the kidneys. In dogs, eating lilies usually causes gut upset. If you live with both, simply keep lilies out of the house.
Signs to watch for
- Mouth and gut: heavy drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea. This is the most common picture.
- Heart: very slow or irregular pulse, weakness, collapse, pale gums. Think oleander, yew, lily of the valley.
- Liver (sago palm): gut signs can come days before liver damage shows, which is why seeing a vet early matters.
- Nervous system: trembling, wobbly gait, seizures. See a vet immediately, day or night.
Prevention at home, in the garden and on walks
- Before buying a house plant, check its Latin name on the label and keep the label: it is the first thing the vet will ask.
- Put risky plants out of reach, and pour away the water from vases of lily of the valley and lilies.
- In the garden, do not leave oleander or yew clippings lying around: dried leaves remain toxic. Store bulbs before planting, and organic fertilisers, whose smell attracts dogs.
- Puppies explore with their mouths: watch them closely in an unfamiliar garden. Many dogs graze on grass safely, as our guide why do dogs eat grass explains, but an ornamental plant is not grass.
- For a safe home set-up, see our bedding and habitat section, and for other food dangers, our table on chocolate by dog weight.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most dangerous plant for a dog?
There is no single ranking, but sago palm, oleander, yew, autumn crocus and castor beans are among the most serious, because small amounts can affect the heart, the liver or several organs. If one of them is involved, call without waiting for symptoms.
My dog ate a leaf from a house plant: what should I do?
Identify the plant (label, photo), check whether your dog is drooling, pawing at its mouth or vomiting, and call your vet or a poison helpline. With many house plants the problem stays limited to the mouth, but only the plant’s name can tell.
Are dried or cut plants still toxic?
Several are: dried oleander and yew leaves keep their toxins. Pick up clippings and do not leave them in an accessible heap.
How can I tell whether a plant is toxic before buying it?
Note the Latin name on the label and ask your vet or check a poison control database. If in doubt, choose another plant or keep it out of reach.
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This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
