Blog

Holiday Plants That are Harmful to Your Pet

With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us are welcoming the season into our homes with festive holiday plants. While these plants are beautiful, some of them are very harmful to pets. If you have a cat or a dog, we recommend reading this post to find out if any of the plants in your home might pose a threat to your furry loved ones. Read on to learn more.

Poinsettia
A common belief about poinsettia plants is that they can cause death when ingested by pets. If a very large amount of the plant is consumed by an animal, there is a chance that death could occur. However, it’s more likely that ingesting the plant will cause irritation in the mouth and vomiting. Still, it’s best to treat the plant as if it’s very dangerous and keep it out of your pet’s reach.

Holly
Holly is another plant that can cause vomiting and irritation in pets. It’s very common to have it around during the holiday season, so be sure to inspect all floral and plant arrangements for holly before placing them around your house.

Mistletoe
This plant is very toxic to pets. Along with holly, mistletoe has a higher toxicity than poinsettias. If your pet eats mistletoe, they might experience extreme abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea, drooling, hallucinations, and in extreme cases, death. Luckily, mistletoe is placed up high out of the reach of pets, but be cautious of falling leaves or placing it on a ledge that your cat has access to.

Pine Needles
While pine needles won’t cause death in a pet, you should do your best to discourage your pet from eating them. They can cause similar symptoms to poinsettias and the other holiday plants. If you notice that your pet continues to eat pine needles even after experiencing pain or vomiting, consider getting a fake Christmas tree next year.

We hope you have a safe and joyous holiday season with your pet! Keep your pets safe and happy by keeping easy-to-avoid plants away from them. If you need to travel for the holidays and need someone to look after your furry friend while you’re away, please give Pet Pals a call! We’re a licensed and bonded pet sitting and pet walking company in San Diego and we’d love to make sure your pet enjoys the holidays just as much as you do.