Common Houseplants That Can Hurt Pets

Laurensamadeen
3 min readAug 10, 2020

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Monstera Deliciosa Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash

The Monstera has become extremely popular due to the countless instagram posts #Monsteramonday. It’s easy to see why, it’s tropical, trendy and offers a really cool aesthetic to any room. The bad news is, this “Swiss cheese plant” is also toxic to pets according to Aspca.org. Pets love to nibble on houseplants but the adverse effects of them doing this include: “Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.”

Photo by Tristan Gevaux on Unsplash

Next up on the list: Aloe Vera. This plant offers a variety of medicinal benefits (for example aiding with sunburn) making it quite popular however also is a no go if you want a houseplant and have pets. The toxic principles according to the ASPCA are: Saponins, anthraquinones

The clinical signs of toxicity if your pet has consumed it is: Vomiting , lethargy, diarrhea.

Photo by Severin Candrian on Unsplash

Golden Pothos also known as “The Devils Ivy” is loved by many since it is a vining plant, and is also a lover of low light and is low maintenance. This plant is quite beautiful and is also a very common house plant. The toxic principles in this plant are insoluble calcium oxalates. If your cat or dog consume this watch out for signs and symptoms of: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

Photo by Jake Goossen on Unsplash

“Mother in Laws Tongue” also known as the Snake plant is a popular plant in many homes since it is very easy to care for. Many say that this plant also improves air quality and can absorb many pollutants which can lead to less health issues for you…but that goes without saying if you have a pet this will not be a optimal choice as a houseplant. The toxic principles in this plant are called Saponins and this can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhea if your pet ingests it.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Jade plants aka “Money plants” are a type of succulent that are also gaining in popularity. Succulents do not need to be watered much and are one of the least demanding plants to own. The toxic principles of this plant are unknown however it is noted that if your pet consumes this some signs and symptoms of toxicity are: Vomiting, depression and incoordination.

This is not an all inclusive list of poisonous plants, if you want to see if your future houseplant is safe to be indoors with your pets please check our the ASPCA.org. Also, if you ever suspect your pet has posibly ingested a poisonous plant please call all the APCC at (888) 426–4435 or contact your veterinarian as soon as possible

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