This article is in partnership with CGU Insurance, helping rescue Australia’s lost ambition.
Indoor plants are having their ~big Millennial moment~, but before you go out and spend up at the local nursery – some plants are toxic to pets. There are plenty that can poison your animal bebe, which is terrifying – espesh if you work full-time and aren’t there to monitor whether little Rusty is being an idiot and munching on leaves again.
Here’s a round up of some popular indoor plants that can actually harm animals.
PEACE LILY
The peace lily is poisonous to both cats and dogs if enough of the plant is eaten. Signs of poisoning include excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
ALOE VERA
Who would’ve thought – the very useful aloe vera plant is actually poisonous to dogs and cats. They’re not TOO bad though – basically, the aloe vera plant contains anthraquinone glycosides which can encourage bowel movements. So if your pet ingests too much, it can lead to vomiting and diarrhoea. Gross, and also not great for your pets’ guts.
BIRD OF PARADISE
This one’s tricky – basically, the Bird of Paradise flower is quite poisonous to dogs. If this plant’s ingested, within 20 minutes your dog could have nausea, vomiting, muscle tremors and a rapid pulse. However, a lot of us have this plant and might not even realise – as you can see in the pic, many don’t even flower. Basically, just keep on the lookout for the distinctive orange flower on your palm-looking plants.
RUBBER PLANT
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYX2ME2hlXg/?hl=en&tagged=rubberplant
This one’s complicated. Some species of rubber plants are fine for cats and dogs. Some, like the Japanese rubber plant, silver dollar plant, Ficus elastica or Indian rubber tree can cause nausea, vomiting, and even disorientation if ingested.
FIDDLE-LEAF FIG
Ugh, of course one of the most popular indoor plants rn is poisonous to dogs and cats. The fiddle-leaf fig, if ingested by your pet, can cause oral irritation, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
MONSTERA
The issue with these pretty babies is they contain calcium oxalate in their leaves, a toxin that can cause irritation to pets lil’ mouths. The toxin causes itching and burning in their mouths, as it inflames the mucus membranes.