Pet friendly plants that won't kill your dog
Find out about cat safe plants and dog friendly greenery and what to do if your pet may have ingested poisonous plants. In the following article we will cover:
What symptoms your pet may show if they have ingested a poisonous plant
What to do if your dog or cat ate a poisonous plant
Where to get your pet friendly greenery in Houston (Pro Tip: You can order too!)
What plants are toxic and not dog or cat friendly?
Plant Mom turned Dog Mom
Are you like me and have all kinds of plants, flowers and palm trees in your home? If you’re a millennial, your answer is probably: Hell Yeah! If you’re on my blog, you’re probably also a pet parent….well, here comes the crux…dogs, cats and other pets and many many plants don’t go that well! It’s important to know the cat safe plants, what dog friendly house plants there are and what to do if your pet ingests a poisonous plan after all.
Yes, I absolutely love my plants. Though I have no garden or yard, I rigorously care and pamper my green leaved friends just as much as I would my little poochie. I talk to them, stroke them, pet their leaves. Singing to your plants is said to work wonders on their growth!
To be totally honest, before I had Missy my plants actually were my babies and I would be such a proud mama if they propagated and took roots or alas, a blossom would appear on my succulent.
Part of my mini “garden” in our Hamburg home in Germany.
While plants are dear to us, we all agree that our furry friends may have replaced them in terms of our parental love and affection. However, we often underestimate that our love for our plants and pets will not always go hand in hand.
Many house plants are poisonous to pets and can lead to serious ailments as well as death if ingested.
My Puppy chews everything!
As a puppy, Missy would chew on ANYThing. No plant, no tree, no shoe for that matter, was safe from her. Missy would destroy all plants, chew them up and rip them a new ass. Sound familiar?
Whenever I got home to a newly killed palm, I thought to myself half jokingly (only half): “Welp, too late now, we’ll see if she’s still alive tomorrow morning.” What was I thinking? I had no idea! I assumed there were only a couple of poisonous plants and didn’t think much of it. Now I know: It’s a miracle Missy made it all the way to 2021.
Just around the time Missy finally eliminated all my precious plants at home, I went out for coffee at my fave French Café, Café Riviera. On my way out I noticed plants, so naturally I went and looked closer and suddenly found myself in the most fabulous plant shop I had ever seen this side of the Atlantic.
Where do I get Pet Friendly Plants?
FLORA CULTURE
Naturally, my plant problems were quickly solved and my home would soon again be as lusciously green as it was before I had Missy, this time only with more dog friendly plants!
The Flora Culture, Plant Boutique in Houston
So what is this magical place The Flora Culture? My friends, I am happy you asked, let me tell you about this fabulous place:
First of all: The Flora Culture is super dog friendly and even has dog treats ready for your pooch. So naturally Missy loves it there and can attest to its wonderful flair.
Owned by Matthew and Jemine, it is not only family owned (seriously, even Matthew’s sister is the fabulous store manager) but heavily in women’s hands. You want to support a small local business? Then this one ticks all the boxes!
Women Power… Matthew is missing in this photo, however. Matthew is the plant expert par excellence!
This carefully curated plant boutique offers all the plants you have ever dreamed of, or haven’t even heard of. In their collection, they carry collector’s pieces and rare plants regularly; so rare, so beautiful. If you want to experience the flair of a trendy Scandinavian boutique, chic aesthetics of minimalism paired with cool and fabulous lifestyle, you are in the right place. Have I mentioned how awesome the entire team is?
The Flora Culture know how to impress its guests. with its greenery wall. Photo: Daniel Oaks
Don’t know much about plants? Perfect, this place is dedicated to empowering you as a new plant owner. If you are a plant expert, they love to talk about greenery nonetheless. The Flora Culture offers a wide range of beautiful minimalist plant accessories and even plant lights to make those babies grow, grow, grow.
Offering workshops and special events like their Galentine’s Day flower binding workshop or pop ups like the upcoming yoga event with @beyoga_tx, this store is right on the zeitgeist and welcomes your participation in their plant journey. The Flora Culture is a new Houston original right on Chimney Rock, that connects community and lifestyle trend so effortlessly that you will be in awe.
After my praising of this store, let me tell you that The Flora Culture is a wonderful place to get your dog friendly plants. If you’re not local to Houston, take advantage of their online shop! Yes, they even deliver those baby plants to you by mail! Go to their shop for more info.
Follow The Flora Culture on Instagram and show them some love and stay up to date on their rare plant specials, informative IGTV (here’s one about pet friendly plants) and tips and tricks about plant care and greenery parenting.
What happens if my dog eats a poisonous plant?
The symptoms poisonous greenery can cause vary by dog size, by the amount ingested and other factors like overall health. If in doubt, rather call the emergency hotline! (APCC at (888) 426-4435)
The toxins in plants can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, some especially dangerous like the sago palm are said to cause organ failure and possibly death!
The most common symptoms of poisoning are:
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
drooling
lethargy
high/low blood pressure
organ failure
However, in my example with Missy she slayed several plants, most of which I later found out where poisonous and nothing happened. I wish I had been more mindful to begin with. This just shows that you never know. Looking back I wouldn’t want to risk it though, In fact, 1 in 100 poisoned dogs die.
Further Information about dog/cat safe plant friends and poisonous plant foes:
In general: Poisonous or not, you should keep non-edible items, like plants your puppy seems too interested in out of reach/out of the room until reintroduced slowly.
Of course, consider that plants with dangly leaves are more prone to be played and chewed at with cats than one of our stiff leaved friends. You know your pet best and should always be mindful of its behaviour and naughty chewing preferences.
What to do if your dog eats a poisonous plant
If you suspect your pet may have ingested a potentially toxic substance, call the APCC at (888) 426-4435 or contact your local veterinarian as soon as possible. Watch out for symptoms like vomitting, diarrhoea, lethargy etc.!
Check your Emergency List for all important phone numbers!
Don’t have an Emergency List? Get it here:
Best 10 plants to get if you have cats and/or dogs
As much as I love plants, every time I see lists like this online I am utterly confused: How am I supposed to recognize plants, if I can’t even pronounce their names, or what is this….Cal, Cala, calllaseo, Orbafabio? So, here’s my quick fix with a illustrated version of all pet friendly yet trendy dog plants from my list. The poisonous are not illustrated, however, because…well, you know…you can forget those anyway:-)
Good boy/girl plants:
2. Banana Musa
3. Haworthia (Zebra Plant)
4. Areca Palm
5. Calathea Orbifolia (Orbit Peacock plant)
6. Pilea cadierei (Aluminium plant)
7. Orchid
8. Burro's Tail
9. Pilea Peperomioides/ Chinese Money Plant
10. Hibiscus
The so-called pony tail plant is just the right amount of boho meets indoor plants. and cat safe!
My absolute favorite - The Banana Musa! This lusciously green palm, can grow really fast and produces the best baby plants to love when taken care of.
The Haworthia is also called Zebra plant. Super easy to handle you can find this one even twice in my home…
Many palm trees are poisonous however the Areca Palm is pet safe and can be an impressive plants with its wide fronds. Also, Arecas are said to be one of the best plants to clean the air!
The Calathea Orbifolia is my dream plant! So lusciously green, it makes any home a greenery paradise, all while being cat safe and dog friendly.
I see the aluminium plant everywhere these days. Super trendy and pet safe!
Orchids! Beautiful and easy green friends!
Don’t worry about kitty paws playing with this uber cool Burro’s tail!
the Chinese money plant isn’t only meant to bring good Feng Shui into your home but good luck and good fortune….show me the money…..tree.
No words needed! One of the most beautiful plants and flowers, and then even pet safe! Jackpot!
Poisonous plants you want to be careful having around pets:
1. SAGO PALM TREES This one is serious. I even had to confirm in Missy’s adoption papers that I would either remove the palm from my yard or be especially careful with it.
2. Monstera Who doesn’t have one? I’m definitely a Monstera mama!
3. Strelizia aka Bird of Paradis I know what you’re thinking: How can something so pretty be so dangerous?
4. Snake plant We like the zebra plant much more anyway, don’t we?
5. Aloe This is a tricky one. While Aloe is often used for skin treatment, even for dogs, its leaves have a mild toxin that dogs and cats can react to. Therefore, don’t give the whole leaves to eat, and be cautious of how you use it. Do your research!
6. Philodendron.
7. Pothos Marble Queen
8. Dracaena aka 'Song of India” instead look at the pretty pony tail plant!
9. Zz plant ugh, too trendy, let’s start a new trend
10. Lavendar the pretty purple herb is unfortunately toxic to dogs, please be careful!
Be mindful about the poisonous plants you own!
While you don’t have to panic and go out and buy all new plants, it is definitely worth being mindful of what greenery in your home is poisonous or not. Not every pet will start chewing plants, especially if they are out of the puppy phase, but you never know.
You should always keep puppies away from chewable, non edible things anyway and young dogs should be under observation at all times to not get into trouble.
Just because a plant is non-toxic doesn’t mean your dog should eat it or won’t have tummy trouble.
If you are a cat mom, you might not have to worry about the snake plant being poisonous but the lengthy thin leaves of the Dracaena may be too much of a temptation for your cat not to fiddle around with or chew. It all depends and you need to be confident with the plant situation – in the end you know your pet best (until you do if you are a new pet parent, take precautions). Be reasonable, be responsible!
For us, Missy lost all interest in plants now, but I still watch her not getting into any leaves anyway.
Disclaimer:
I compiled this list from my personal favorite plants that I see most on IG and Social Media and researched to my best ability, using especially the ASPCA’s website. While I researched this pet friendly plant list carefully, please always double check with your vet or your own plant store to make sure the plant you chose is pet friendly. There are so many different plants and plant families, some are dangerous for pets, some are not, some only for cats etc. Please be a reasonable and responsible pet parent and always do your own research on these matters. Just because a plant is not toxic, doesn’t mean your pet should eat it or won’t have tummy trouble ingesting it.
For further reading, please visit the Dog Plant List from the ASPCA which includes over 1000 different plants and flowers, detailing the symptoms if ingested and other helpful tips on each plant.
if you suspect your pet may have ingested a potentially toxic substance, call the APCC at (888) 426-4435 or contact your local veterinarian as soon as possible - Have the APCC ready on your emergency list (download here)
Share a screenshot of your favorite part of this article! Post it to your Instagram stories and tell your friends and followers about this awesome article and tag me in it (make sure your profile is public so I can see it. Of all taggers until April 15 2021, I will pick a winner to receive the Calathea Orbifolia (Orbit Peacock plant) plant illustration personalised of their pet.
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