Pet Friendly Plants – Fun for All

If you love to have plenty of house plants in your home and a garden full of  many different varieties of plants, have to think twice before bringing home pets.

Similarly, when there is a pet in the house, care should be taken while selecting house plants and ensuring that they are pet friendly plants. While there are innumerable pet friendly plants in nurseries, a wrong choice may mean trouble for the pet.

If your pets eat the leaves, these plants can make them sick, and sometimes even cause their death.

Before bringing home a new plant, choose only ones that are in good condition, and appear to be free from insects or other pests. Make sure that no pesticide has been sprayed recently on the plants. This can make even the most popular pet friendly plants into life threatening hazards, if an animal licks or chew the leaves.

Many common species that one assumes to be pet friendly plants are actually potentially harmful to animals. There are more than eighty varieties of common plants, shrubs, and trees on this list.   They include such popular and attractive plants such as lilies, tulip and narcissus bulbs, azaleas, rhododendrons and yew.

A pet may chew on the branches, stems, roots or seedpods of any of these plants, and suffer from unpleasant symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, twitching and even death.

Other Vegetation Types Mistaken to be Pet Friendly Plants

Even if pet friendly plants around the house add grace and beauty, it is important to ensure that they are not harmful in any way. Do not grow any member of the chili pepper family if you have pets. They all contain capsicum, the chemical that makes peppers hot, and which is an irritant to skin and eyes.

During the busy holiday season, pets may often be neglected, and they can get up to mischief.  The attractive holiday holly plants can cause vomiting and purging if consumed in large quantities. The popular mistletoe is just not meant for pets. It can cause nausea, gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, hallucinations, delirium, and possibly death if ingested.

Indoor lime trees are very attractive, but their foliage contains terpene.  Pets should be kept away from them.

Another precaution is to avoid growing thorny and spiny plants, as they can cause serious eye injuries. Even the flowers of hydrangea can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even coma or convulsions, if they are eaten.

Just take care to protect pets from unfortunate mishaps.

Filed under: Dangers For Pets