Are Central MN Plants Killing Our Pets?

When I bought a home in St. Cloud a few years ago, I couldn't wait to bring a little bit of my parents' farm here with me. My Mom painstakingly dug up some of their Hostas, Ferns, Iris flowers, and lilies for me to plant in my backyard and around the front of my house. I even planted a little Rhubarb plant in my backyard.

Although it's taken quite a few years for some of those plants to get established, I didn't realize that I was planting things around my home that could be toxic to my pets.

DANGER LURKS IN YOUR BACKYARD FOR YOUR CATS AND DOGS

HOSTAS

I did not know that Hostas were toxic to pets!  If your pet is unlikely to chew on plants, then you may have nothing to worry about. Hostas are dangerous for both cats and dogs, so if you've got them planted around your home, you may want to put up barriers to those plants or plant other things around them so they are not as easy to get to.

Hostas cause lots of problems, including vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, bloating, and twisting of their intestines.

My parents have had these plants all over their farm since I was young, and although we have lost dogs and cats through the years, I guess we have no idea if a hosta was to blame. Hostas are not the only toxic common plant that can cause problems for your pets.

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LILIES

Lilies are much more toxic to cats than dogs, but they are also very dangerous. Every single part of the plant is toxic. Asiatic and Daylilies are the most toxic, from what I can tell. Stargazer, Tiger, Japanese, Easter, Oriental Hybrid Lilies, and Casa Blanca lilies, Puruvian, Lily of the Valley, Trumpet, Peace, and Flame Lilies.

It's best to NOT bring these types of flowers INTO your home. Even cats that aren't particularly interested in plants may show interest and curiosity about something new being brought into the home. Be safe. Leave them outside, and if your cat wanders into your yard, you should be with them when they are outside.

IRIS

Believe it or not, Iris plants are also dangerous for cats and dogs, but also horses! Again, it's not a good idea to bring these types of flowers into your home, and if your pets wander in the backyard or have access to getting near these types of plants, putting up barriers or making sure they don't get near to them would be the best line of defense in keeping your pets safe.

FERNS

The only other plant that I have around my home that came from the farm is ferns. True Ferns are NOT supposed to be dangerous to cats and dogs. True Ferns include:

• Boston
• Sword
• Button
• Mother
• Carrot
• Maidenhair
• Staghorn
• Rabbit's Foot
• Bird's Nest

Asparagus Ferns, however, ARE toxic to cats. Make sure you don't bring these plants in your home.

I hope knowing about these toxic plants helps you keep your pets safe this summer. Are there more toxic plants that we should be adding to this list?