As a dog owner, it’s important to create an outdoor space for them to play and relax in. Whether you’re a keen gardener or not, it’s also important to make sure this area is dog-friendly and doesn’t contain any plants that may be poisonous to your pet.
To help you make the right choices for your dog-friendly garden, we’ve put together a list of 5 common plants that you should avoid planting or have removed from your garden if they are already growing.
Daffodils
They may be the symbol of springtime and always brighten up the garden, but in fact, these yellow beauties can be highly toxic for your dogs. They contain poisonous alkaloids, which, if ingested by your four-legged friend, could cause excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions, tremors and heart problems. The bulbs are the most dangerous part of the plant, so be sure to dig them up and not just remove the flowers and leaves on the surface.
Try and avoid daffodils
Azalea
Once again, these common and pretty flowers can cause dogs no end of problems. Ingesting just a few leaves from an azalea can cause severe irritation in the mouth, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea. In more serious cases, it can also lead to a drop in blood pressure, coma or sometimes even death.
Tulip
Similar to daffodils, this springtime flower is also poisonous to dogs. The entire plant is not to be ingested, but the bulb is by far the most dangerous part of the plant. If your dog ends up eating any part of a tulip, it can cause oral irritation, drooling and nausea.
Cyclamen
With similar symptoms to the tulip and daffodils, ingestion of this plant should always be avoided as they contain terpenoids that are highly toxic for dogs. If your dog eats this plant, it may experience irritation of the mouth, diarrhoea, vomiting, heart abnormalities, seizures and, in some cases, death.
Lilies
These are well known to be harmful to cats, but some types can also be dangerous for dogs too. Some of these species are the peace lily, lily of the valley, calla lily, amaryllis and Autumn Crocus. The effects of eating such lilies can cause sickness and diarrhoea, anorexia, tremors and depression in your dog.
Be sure to protect your pooch from exposure to these plants to keep them happy and healthy in your dog-friendly garden.
These are just a few poisonous plants