Top 7 Toxic Houseplants to Keep Away from Pets

Decorative plants can enhance your home's aesthetics, and many offer health benefits like soothing skin irritations. However, some common houseplants can be hazardous to pets. To ensure your furry friends stay safe, avoid placing these toxic plants in your home. Here are seven popular indoor plants that pose risks to dogs and cats.

Aloe Vera
Known for its healing properties, aloe vera gel is used for skin treatments. Unfortunately, it is highly poisonous to dogs and can cause stomach upset, nausea, or vomiting if ingested.

Sago Palm
This hardy indoor shrub adds beauty to any space but is extremely toxic if pets nibble on the leaves. Consumption can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, or even coma. Fever is also a warning sign to watch.

Tulips
Popular for their vibrant blooms, tulips contain toxins in the stems and flowers that can upset your pet’s stomach, causing vomiting, drooling, or diarrhea.

Allium Plants
Including onions and garlic, these plants contain compounds that can damage red blood cells if consumed in large amounts, leading to weakness, rapid breathing, or red urine, indicating severe toxicity.

Daffodils
Blooming in many homes, all parts of daffodils are toxic to pets. Ingestion can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, or other serious symptoms, so keep them out of reach.

Ivy
Commonly used outdoors for decoration, ivy plants can be dangerous if pets chew on any part of the plant, potentially causing poisoning.

Azalea Shrubs
Known for their attractive flowers, azaleas can cause excessive salivation, vomiting, and in severe cases, seizures or unconsciousness in pets.

Though many plants are unsafe, species like basil, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, and lemongrass are safe options and can even help deter pests like fleas and ticks.