Poisonous Plants: What to do? If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call to Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435, 24 hours a day/365 days a year. This call may make all the difference to your pet. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card for the call. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) (www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants.aspx )has released a list of the most poisonous plants (inside and out) and their possible effects. The table below lists just a few of these, familiarize yourself with what they look like. You may have them in or around your home.
ARUM LILY Additional Common Names: Arum, Lord-and-Ladies, Wake Robin, Starch Root, Bobbins, Cuckoo Plant Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Clinical Signs: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
ASIATIC LILY Toxicity: Toxic to Cats Clinical Signs: Vomiting, inappetance, lethargy, kidney failure, and death is possible. Cats are only species known to be affected.
EASTER LILY Toxicity: Toxic to Cats, Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Horses Clinical Signs: Vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, kidney failure, and death is possible. Cats are only species known to be affected.
APPLE TREE Additional Common Names: Includes crab-apples Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Toxic Parts:Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting Clinical Signs:brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting, shock.
APRICOT TREE Additional Common Names: Group also includes Plum, Peach, Cherry Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Toxic Parts:Stems, leaves, seeds contain cyanide, particularly toxic in the process of wilting: Clinical Signs:brick red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting, shock.
ALOE VERA PLANT Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats Clinical Signs: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea, anorexia, tremors, change in urine color.
ARROW-HEAD VINE Additional Common Names: Nephthytis, Green Gold Naphthysis, African Evergreen, Trileaf Wonder Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, & Cats Clinical Signs: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
DIEFFENBACHIA Scientific Name: Dieffenbachia amoena Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats Clinical Signs: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth , tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
SPLIT-LEAF PHILANDENDRON Additional Common Names: Hurricane Plant, Swiss Cheese Plant, Ceriman, Mexican Breadfruit, Split-leaf Philodendron, Window Leaf Plant Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, & Cats Clinical Signs: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.
ELEPHANT EARS Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Clinical Signs: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
CYCLAMEN Additional Common Names: Sow-bread Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, & Cats Clinical Signs: Salivation, vomiting, diarrhea. Following large ingestation of tubers: heart rhythm abnormalities, seizures, death.
ENGLISH IVYAdditional Common Names: Glacier Ivy, Needlepoint Ivy, Sweetheart Ivy, California Ivy Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Clinical Signs: Vomiting, abdominal pain, hyper-salivation, diarrhea. Foliage is more toxic than berries
ENGLISH HOLLY Additional Common Names: European Holly, Oregon Holly, Ink-berry, Winter-berry Toxicity: Toxic to Horses,Cats & Dogs Clinical Signs: Vomiting, diarrhea and depression. Leaves and berries are low toxicity.
OLEANDER Additional Common Names: Rose-Bay Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Clinical Signs: Poisonings can occur from access to prunings or fallen branches. All parts contain a highly toxic cardiac glycoside much like digitoxin, and can cause colic, diarrhea (possibly bloody), sweating, in-coordination, shallow/difficult breathing, muscle tremors, recumbentcy, and possibly death from cardiac failure.
SILVER-JADE Additional Common Names: Silver Dollar Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, & Cats Clinical Signs: Nausea, retching
JAPANESE-YEW Additional Common Names: American Yew Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats & Dogs Clinical Signs: Tremors, difficulty breathing, vomiting, seizures (dogs), sudden death from acute
RHODODENDRON Additional Common Names: Rose-bay, Rhododendron Toxicity: Toxic to Horses, Cats, & Dogs Clinical Signs: Vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, weakness, coma, hypotension, CNS depression, cardiovascular collapse and death. Ingestion of a few leaves can cause serious problems. The toxic principle interferes with normal skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and nerve function. Clinical effects typically occur within a few hours after ingestion, and can include acute digestive upset, excessive drooling, loss of appetite, frequent bowel movements/diarrhea, colic, depression, weakness, loss of coordination, stupor, leg paralysis, weak heart rate and recumbency for 2 or more days; at this point, improvement may be seen or the animal may become comatose and die.