Don’t Let Your Flowers Harm Your Furry Friends: 10 Flowers to Avoid and 1 Flower to Love for the Chinese New Year
Welcome the New Year with Pet-Safe Flowers! 🌺🐾
Key Takeaways:
- Many common New Year flowers can be toxic to pets
- Learn to identify dangerous plants and their symptoms
- Choose pet-safe alternatives like orchids
The New Year is here, and buying flowers to welcome the spring is a favorite tradition for many people. Flowers symbolize wealth and prosperity, and add joy to your home. However, have you ever thought about how your flowers affect your pets?
Some flowers are "deadly traps" for pets, containing toxins that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, coma, and other symptoms if cats and dogs accidentally eat them. In severe cases, they may even endanger their lives.
10 Dangerous Flowers to Watch Out For
The following 10 kinds of flowers are poisonous to pets, and may cause different degrees of harm, or even death, if cats and dogs eat them. Therefore, it is recommended that pet owners, if they buy these flowers, should place them as high as possible or where pets cannot reach, to reduce the risk.
Azalea:
Can cause blindness, vomiting, diarrhea, and affect the nervous and cardiac systems.
Daffodil:
High toxicity in stem and bud. Can cause coma or convulsions.
Lily:
The "number one poison" for cats. Can cause acute renal failure.
Lucky Bamboo:
Can cause emotional distress, loss of appetite, and blood vomiting.
Chrysanthemum
Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and skin inflammation.
Paeonia lactiflora(Chinese Peony):
Can affect the respiratory system and cause various digestive issues.
Rohdea japonica:
Can affect kidney and liver, cause oral inflammation.
Gladiolus (Sword Lily)
Can affect heart and nervous system, cause respiratory issues.
Hyacinth:
Also called "water narcissus".It can be grown in soil or water. Hyacinth contains toxic "biological alkaloids".If ingested: can cause vomiting, bleeding, or seizures
Hydrangea:
Hydrangea is beautiful but toxic to pets. It contains "cyanogenic glycosides". All parts of hydrangea is toxic, especially leaves and flowers It can casuse vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, weakness
Emergency Steps: If Your Pet Eats a Toxic Flower
Take These Immediate Actions:
- Stay Calm: Your pet needs you to think clearly
- Observe Symptoms: Note any unusual behavior or reactions
- Document: Take photos of the plant and record when it was eaten
- Contact Vet: Seek professional help immediately
Remember: The first hour is crucial for treatment!
A Safe Alternative: Orchids 🌸
Orchids are both beautiful and safe for pets! They offer:
- Non-toxic properties
- Various colors and shapes
- Low pollen count (great for allergies)
- Long-lasting blooms
If you want to buy flowers to decorate your home, and do not want to harm your pet, you can consider a kind of flower that is safe for both humans and animals, which is Orchid.
Orchids (蘭花), in general, are considered non-toxic to dogs and cats according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Most common orchid varieties, like Phalaenopsis (moth orchids), do not contain harmful substances that would endanger pets if ingested.
Orchid is a noble and beautiful flower, with various colors and shapes, that can add color and atmosphere to your home. Moreover, orchid is not poisonous to pets, and even if pets eat it, they will not have poisoning symptoms. Orchid also does not cause nasal allergies in humans, because it has a low amount of pollen, and does not irritate the nose. Therefore, orchid is a very suitable choice for buying flowers for the New Year, as it can express your heart, and protect your and your pet's health.
Buying flowers for the New Year is a traditional custom, but you should be careful when choosing flowers, and don't let the beautiful flowers become your furry kids' nightmare. If you find that your pet has eaten a poisonous flower, you should take immediate action, and take your pet to the clinic as soon as possible. If you want to buy flowers to decorate your home, and do not want to harm your pet, you can consider orchid, a kind of flower that is safe for both humans and animals. Wish you and your pet a happy and healthy New Year!
© 2025 Furry Green Pets. All rights reserved.