Pet Friendly Landscaping for Cats, Dogs and Horses

My love for my pets and my passion about plants lead me to begin researching what landscape plants and materials might be harmful to my furry friends. I was amazed at the number of plants, and elements in the garden that can be potentially dangerous to dogs, cats, and horses. My pets love to "help" me in my gardens. Sometimes my dogs grab onto something that I have just pruned, and run away with it, hoping I will join in on a game of throw and retrieve. If they were to grab plant pieces that are toxic, and chew on them, the result could be very dangerous. Every pet owner that enjoys gardening should be aware of some of the dangers possibly lurking in their landscape. Below is some information to help you create a safer exterior space for your pets.

There are many commonly used exterior landscape plants (hardy in the Maryland/Pennsylvania area) that can be toxic to your pets. If your pets like to chew on plants, play with or chew mulch, or dig in the soil to expose bulbs, here is a partial list of materials to omit from or avoid using in your landscape.

Plants Toxic to Dogs and Cats

• Azaleas and Rhododendrons. Ingestion of the leaves can cause vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, weakness of the central nervous system, or cardiovascular collapse.
• Yews (Taxus baccata or capitata). All parts of this plant can be highly toxic, and can produce such effects as trembling, poor coordination, difficulty in breathing, and possible cardiac failure.
• Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). This plant is highly toxic and ingestion of the leaves can cause cardiac failure.
• Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). All parts of this plant are highly toxic, and can cause cardiac failure.
• English Ivy (Hedera helix). Ingestion of the stems and leaves cause stomach irritation, diarrhea, troubled breathing, coma and death.
• Daffodils, tulips, and crocus - Ingestion of the bulbs cause gastrointestinal problems including drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the nervous system, convulsions, and cardiac abnormalities.

Additional Plants that can be Toxic to Your Dogs and Cats:

• Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) - leaves and berries
• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) - leaves
• Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) - leaves
• Candytuft (Iberis species) - leaves
• Chrysanthemum - flowers are very toxic to cats and puppies
• Iris - bulbs
• Marigold - new leaves and stems
• Primroses - entire plant

Plants Toxic to Cats

Certain types of lilies (including Tiger lilies, Asiatic lilies, and Oriental lilies). Ingestion of any part of these plants cause immediate loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. Several days later, the cat will experience renal (kidney) failure. The toxicity of daylilies is unknown at this time. More >

Plants Toxic to Horses >

Toxic Mulch, Fertilizers, Pesticides and Herbicides >