Spring is here! Learn how to keep your pet safe this season.

Spring is here and so is gardening season. Keep your pet safe this season from potentially dangerous spring plants and fertilizers.

Here is a list of some of the most common spring plants and fertilizers that could be toxic to your pet:

Lilies - Tiger, Day, Asiatic, Easter, and Japanese Show lilies are highly toxic to cats! Even small ingestions (such as 2-3 petals or leaves) can result in severe kidney failure.

If your cat is seen consuming any part of a lily, take your cat (and the plant) immediately to your veterinarian for urgent medical care.

Tulips and Hyacinth - The bulbs are highly toxic; ensure your dog is not digging up the bulbs. If ingested, it can irritate the mouth and esophagus tissue. Side effects include drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Please seek immediate medical care for your pup if you suspect they have ingested these toxic plants.

Lily of the Valley - The Convallaria Majalis plant contains cardiac glycosides, which will cause symptoms similar to digitalis (foxglove) ingestion. These symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, a drop in heart rate, severe cardiac arrhythmias, and possibly seizures.

Pets with known exposure to this plant should be examined and evaluated by a veterinarian and treated symptomatically.

Crocus - Spring crocus plants are part of the Iridaceae family; these ingestions can cause gastrointestinal upset, including drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. Autumn Crocus, also known as Meadow Saffron or Naked Lady, is part of the Liliaceae family and contains a toxic alkaloid called colchicine is highly poisonous. It can cause severe gastrointestinal signs (e.g., drooling, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, bloody diarrhea, etc.), liver and kidney damage, respiratory failure, central nervous system signs (e.g., seizures), and even death.

Seek veterinary attention immediately.

Daffodils - These flowers contain lycorine, an alkaloid with strong emetic properties (something that triggers vomiting). Ingestion of the bulb, plant, or flower can cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and even possible cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory depression. Crystals are found in the outer layer of the bulbs, similar to hyacinths, which cause severe tissue irritation and secondary drooling.

Daffodil ingestions can result in more severe symptoms, so we recommend seeking veterinary care if an exposure is witnessed or symptoms are seen.

What to do if your pet has been poisioned: https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-owners/emergency/

Fertilizers - Blood meal, Bone meal, rose and plant fertilizers, pesticides/Insecticides.

• Blood meal – This is dried, ground, and flash-frozen blood and contains 12% nitrogen. While it’s an excellent organic fertilizer, it can cause vomiting (of some other poor animal’s blood) and diarrhea if ingested. More importantly, it can result in severe pancreatitis, which is pancreas inflammation. Some types of blood meal are also fortified with iron, resulting in iron toxicity, so make sure to know what’s in your blood meal bag!

• Bone Meal – This comprises defatted, dried, and flash-frozen animal bones ground to a powder. This “bone” also makes it palatable to your dog, so keep your pet from digging in and ingesting the soil. While this also makes an excellent organic fertilizer, it can become a problem when consumed as the bone meal forms a large cement-like bone ball in the stomach – which can obstruct the gastrointestinal tract – resulting in possible surgery to remove it!

• Rose and plant fertilizers – Some of these fertilizers contain disulfoton or other types of organophosphates (OP). As little as one teaspoon of 1% disulfoton can kill a 55 lb dog, so be careful! Organophosphates, while less commonly used, can result in severe symptoms, including SLUD signs (which abbreviate for salivation, lacrimation, urination, and defecation), seizures, difficulty breathing, hyperthermia, etc. In some cases, it can be fatal!

• Pesticides/Insecticides – Most pesticides or insecticides (typically those that come in a spray can) are primary irritants to the pet. They are usually not a huge concern unless a pet’s symptoms persist. Some may contain an organophosphate which can be life-threatening when consumed in large quantities. Speaking to a trained medical professional with questions is always best.

• Iron – This is commonly added to fertilizers and can result in iron toxicity (from ingesting elemental iron). This differs from “total” iron ingestion, and differentiating can be confusing. When in doubt, have a medical professional at Pet Poison Helpline assist you with determining if the amount ingested was toxic. Large ingestions can result in vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and potential cardiac and liver effects.

The best thing any pet owner can do is to be educated on the household toxins (both inside the house and out in the garden!) – that way; you make sure how to pet-proof your home appropriately. Keep all these products in labeled, tightly-sealed containers out of your pet’s reach.

For more information, don't hesitate to contact the Pet Poison Helpline at

1-855-764-7661.