How Toxic Are Geraniums to Dogs?

If you're both an avid gardener and a dog lover, you may experience severe anxiety and stress when it comes to the thought of your pet exploring the greenery on her own. After all, a lot of very common plants are highly toxic in man's best friend -- yikes.

Toxicity

The ASPCA says geranium plants are fully and totally toxic in all dogs and cats. The toxicity of the plant is due to chemical linalool and the alcohol geraniol, both prominent presences in geraniums and many of the other flowering plants that belong to the genus Pelargonium. Since the plants are 100 percent toxic in dogs, it's important to make sure your little one never even goes near one.

The oil of a geranium, Geraniol, is a popular substance used in many essential oils and insect repellants which concentrates the more toxic parts of the plant. Pet owners should be aware of this when shopping for oils, perfumes or sprays that potentially cause their pet to have an allergic reaction.

Jungle Geranium

Don't allowing the name of a plant to fool you. The bright and jovial-looking "jungle geranium" is from a totally different plant family than true geraniums -- the Rubiaceae rather than the the Geraniaceae. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Animal Poison Control Center, this "geranium" is in no way poisonous to either dogs or cats, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if you happen to have one in your garden or as a houseplant.

Symptoms of Geranium Poisoning

Geraniums and geranium leaves are toxic enough in dogs that they can trigger a variety of uncomfortable and severe symptoms shortly after ingestion. If you think your pooch may be undergoing geranium poisoning, stay alert for any telltale side effects, including skin irritation and skin rash (dermatitis), low heart rate, mood changes, depression, loss of appetite (anorexia), weight loss and a large amount of throwing up. If your doggie is indeed suffering from geranium poisoning, it's important to seek veterinary help for her as soon as possible. When it comes to your pet's health, time is always of the essence, so waste not a millisecond of it.

If you caught your dog eating the plant or even just a small part of it, get rapid veterinary attention, even if she's behaving like she's totally fine and everything's just dandy.

Other Poisonous Plants

When it comes to dogs, geraniums aren't even close to being the only potential hazard in your garden. Keep your pet safe by being as well-versed as possible in the toxicity levels of common plants. Poisonous plants in many cases can lead to fatal consequences in pets -- no, thank you. Some other harmful plants to dogs include yellow oleander, mistletoe, hyacinth, buttercup, azalea, daffodil, Jerusalem cherry, bird-of-paradise, English ivy and lily of the valley.

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