Garden Plants That Poison Pets in South Africa

Long lists of "toxic plants" cause more anxiety than they prevent, because most of them cause a mildly upset stomach at worst. These are the ones that genuinely matter in South African gardens and homes.

The genuinely dangerous

• Lilies — for cats specifically. True lilies and day lilies cause acute kidney failure in cats. Every part is toxic including the pollen, and a cat brushing past and grooming itself is enough. Do not have them in a house with a cat, and refuse them in bouquets.
• Oleander. Widely planted along South African roads and driveways. Affects the heart and is dangerous in small amounts, including dried leaves and water from a vase.
• Cycads. Common in South African gardens. The seeds especially cause acute liver failure in dogs, and dogs do chew them.
• Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Brunfelsia). Extremely common here and a frequent cause of seizures in dogs, who eat the berries and roots.
• Delicious monster, dieffenbachia and philodendron. Calcium oxalate crystals cause intense mouth pain and swelling that can obstruct breathing.
• Bulbs — amaryllis, daffodil, hyacinth, clivia. The bulb is the most concentrated part, and dogs dig them up.

Worth knowing about

Sago palm, foxglove, azalea, lantana, castor oil plant, syringa berries and moonflower all cause serious poisoning. Avocado leaves and pits are a problem for birds and some pets. Macadamia nuts falling from a tree are a common dog problem in KZN and Mpumalanga.

The overrated ones

Many plants on internet lists cause nothing worse than drooling and a bit of vomiting. Aloes, spider plants and most succulents fall here. Do not tear out your whole garden.

What to do if they eat something

Take a photo of the plant, or better, a cutting including leaves and flowers. Phone your vet. Do not induce vomiting. Note the time. Most plant poisonings are treated far more effectively when the plant is identified, and "some green thing in the corner" is not identification.

Prevention

Know what is in your garden — photograph anything unfamiliar and identify it. Fence off the worst offenders or remove them if you have a chewer. Put houseplants genuinely out of reach; a shelf a cat can jump to is not out of reach. Compost heaps deserve a lid, since mouldy food causes tremors and seizures and is a common summer emergency.