Garden Plants That Are Toxic for Dogs

Important: This list is intended for educational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for veterinary help. If your pet has ingested a plant and is exhibiting unusual behaviors or symptoms, contact your vet immediately, or call the Pet Poison Hotline.

This listing is not exhaustive. And it's not a listing of all the plants you should rip out of your garden. If you have barriers, fences, and other means of deterring a dog, use them. There are all kinds of new stuff to help you do that - i like the "critter barriers".... lengths of wood fencing with metal chain link in-between, and posts to get them into the ground and keep your dog from getting in. There are also metal fencing panels with long, closely spaced tines that go in several inches into your ground, and that keeps fido from digging under and out. I'm not going to tell you to grow these things, either. The choice is yours.

There are thousands of botanicals, and the chemistry may not always be well-known. This list is for dog parents, only. Someone else can do cats. Bear in mind that many plants cause eye and nose irritation if played in or with. If you have these plants growing in your yard, and you can't keep your dog from eating them, it's best to keep the dog out of the garden altogether. I wouldn't pull my plants out. I might rearrange them, but that's the extent of it.  That's not cruel, it's the best solution for you and your dog. Keep it confined. Let him play in the garden under your watchful eye. 

Most dogs chew because they're bored. If you're hanging with your pup, he won't be interested in your flower beds. You're entitled to indulge in gardening, and the pooch already gets plenty of food and treats. Sometimes a little behavior modification and lessons in "mine/yours" is all your dog needs. My dog grew up in the gardens, and she knows that when i start landscaping an area, I fence it, and she's not allowed to go in it. End of Story. It helps that i'm in the garden with her for a good part of the day, and there's no sneaking around my rules. If she acts full of herself and belligerent, indoors she goes. She knows she doesn't like that consequence. If cat owners would confine their pet when it's destructive to property or at risk of poisoning, my garden and the neighborhood would be Eden. Some dogs will chew on purpose. Stuff tastes good. 

There are other comprehensive lists available online for plants dangerous to other pets. New plants are frequently bred and hybrids that don't list toxicity.

There are also dogs who eat plants and are totally unaffected by the toxins. Don't take the risk, know your poisons and protect your dog.

Note: I have a large number of these plants. Most of my gardens are decoratively and efficiently fenced off from my dog,  surrounded by decorative stones, or prickly plants with thorns that no dog in it's right mind wants to deal with. I've also planted most of my special ornamentals, vines and trees in very tall and closely-placed pots, so there's not much incentive to work for the forbidden food. My girl doesn't care for flowers and plants at all. There's not a blade of grass on my property, and she doesn't care for the ornamental grasses as a snack, so she's out of luck. Some dogs eat grassy stuff to purge themselves and rid their bodies of something they really shouldn't have eaten. The one thing all of my dogs enjoyed as a snack  - clover. It's quite bitter, but safe enough, because they can't eat the quantity that could do it any harm. It tastes really bad, so they barf it up, just like grass.

Now, if  my dog would just stop digging little holes when I'm not looking, i can eliminate some fencing and make my life easier.