Garden flowers and plants posing fatal threat to pets
Plants and flowers help to make gardens look attractive, but pet owners should be aware that the leaves and berries of many common plants can be deadly if eaten by animals.
Safety at home, to allow pets to roam freely, is paramount, so it’s important to check that there are no lethal berries or leaves to increase a risk of accidental poisoning.
Some plants, such as Lily of the Valley, are toxic from top to bottom. Others, such as rhubarb, have parts that are safe to eat, but the leaves should be avoided at all costs.
Toxic plants to keep out of reach of pets include:
1 Larkspur
Belonging to the buttercup family, Larkspur is a flowering plant grown for its vivid colour, and because it is low maintenance. However, all parts of the Larkspur plant are toxic to pets, with its leaves and seeds containing the highest levels of alkaloids. These alkaloids can cause vomiting, nausea, painful burns in the mouth and a slow heartbeat.
2 Foxglove
These pretty bell-like blossoms add a bright pop of colour to gardens, but they are packed with toxins. Accidental ingestion of any part of the plant could lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and irregular or slow heartbeats. Berries are bright so can attract pets.
3 Rhubarb
While this popular cooking ingredient appears safe, the mistake is made when people or pets attempt to eat the leaves of the plant. They are high in toxins, such as oxalic acid, which could affect the kidneys. In high doses, these toxins can lead to kidney failure and in some cases, death.
4 Lily Of The Valley
This dainty, fragrant flower is surrounded by bright green foliage, but be warned, it is highly toxic to all. The flower produces a whole range of cardiac glycosides, a highly toxic compound powerful enough to send a grown adult to hospital. Accidental ingestion may lead to headaches, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, and skin rashes, Severe
poisoning without immediate treatment can be fatal.
5 Oleander
Popular for its pretty pink flowers, the oleander appears an unlikely danger. But there have been reports of death after adults ingested a single leaf. Pets who eat any part of the plant may suffer from heart arrhythmia, vomiting, cold extremities, or possibly death.
6 Tulip and hyacinth bulbs
The toxic part of tulip and hyacinth plants is concentrated within the bulbs and when it is ingested by pets it can have serious side effects due to irritation in the mouth and throat. The most common symptoms among dogs that have ingested these bulbs include drooling, being sick and difficulty breathing.
7 Lantana flowers
All parts of the pretty Lantana flower are toxic to dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses. In large volumes,
it can cause damage to the liver and increased sensitivity to light.
8 Deadly nightshade
As the name suggests, these plants can have deadly consequences. The round purple and black berries are highly toxic. Eating them can cause drowsiness, facial flushing, fever, vomiting, confusion and hallucinations.
Claire Ransom, the founder of Lazy Flora, a plant subscription site, said: “My dog Cocoa ate two different toxic things while in the garden and I had to rush her to the emergency vet both times.
“The guilt was awful, I couldn’t believe I’d put her at risk. Luckily, Cocoa suffered no lasting damage, but it really heightened my awareness of just how toxic some plants can be.
“It is best to remove these plants out of accessible areas of the garden.”