We are sure that many of you would love to decorate your home with plants . Some have the theory that the greener the better, others even take it to the extreme and would like a small tropical jungle. The problem comes when you have to find space for these plants and there are pets in the house , who also have their own opinion about the role of trees and plants as toys, so there are certain restrictions so that no misfortune occurs.

If you think about it, plants are at the level of the mouth and snout of any dog ​​or child. Having children , who put everything in their mouths, or pets (French bulldog or any breed of dog), who eat anything , requires a responsible job in knowing what kind of plants, common in homes, can be harmful to your loved ones . Sometimes it is irrelevant because no one has tried to make a Philodendron salad and it is not common to get poisoned with it, but what happens if a child or a pet eats a piece? It is better to know what poisons we have at home.

1 Oleander or laurel in bloom

Oleander is a perennial and frequently flowering species, which is why it is often used as an ornamental plant in the garden. Its flowers smell like vanilla and its name suggests an edible leaf. A big mistake. The leaves , flowers, stems and seeds are extremely toxic . It has cyanogenic glycosides like hydrangea, but it adds, for example, oleandrin , a cardiogenic glycoside that causes tachycardia in low doses and, in higher doses, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and eventually death.

Poisoning by laurel in bloom occurs several hours after ingestion and includes not only the aforementioned cardiac symptoms but also severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, motor ataxia and dyspnea. It is said that a regiment of Napoleon, when they occupied Spain, used stakes of laurel in bloom to roast what they had hunted. Several dozen soldiers died from poisoning.

2 Hemlock

poisonous house plant dog hemlock
Hemlock is not a plant that people grow for any purpose, but it is present almost everywhere, since it grows like a weed . Hemlock contains cicutoxin , a central nervous system stimulant that in high doses causes convulsions and death by cardiorespiratory arrest.

The philosopher Socrates, the promoter of a school of thought and Plato’s teacher, was accused by the authorities of “corrupting youth” with his ideas, and was ordered to commit suicide by drinking a cup of hemlock. Knowing that it was an unjust measure, before drinking the cup he said: “Better to be the victim of an injustice than the author of it.”

3 Dieffenbachia

Poisonous house plant for dogs dieffenbachia
It also comes in many versions and is a great houseplant because it needs almost no light and is very visually appealing. It is similar to the philodendron in that it is full of calcium oxalate .

In practice, it only causes itching, redness of the mucous membranes and loss of voice for a few hours. Other plants with common calcium oxalate crystals are calla lilies, elephant ear and eve’s mantle.

4 Philodendron

Poisonous house plant dog philodendron
There are about 700 different species of philodendron . Some are found only in tropical regions, others are adapted to drier and colder climates. Some are better as houseplants and others practically “climb” trees and live off their aerial roots. In short, the philodendron is found all over the world at this point and as long as nobody eats it, no problem. But if anyone is thinking of making it into a salad, beware, all parts of the plant are poisonous .

Roots, stems, leaves, everything contains calcium oxalate , a carbon crystal whose microscopic structure is in the form of tiny crystals. A little calcium oxalate causes burning in the lips and mouth. A little more gradually causes stomach pain, aphonia (because it irritates the throat) and, in larger quantities, convulsions, loss of consciousness and death. But even if death does not occur, the person may be left with chronic liver or kidney failure.

5 Floripondio

poisonous home plant dog hydrangea floripondio
The floripondio , of the Brugmansia genus , exists throughout Central and South America under different names. It is a very attractive little tree and its flowers are large and colorful . Because of its attractiveness, there are cases where children pick them and taste them, thinking they are sweet like the acanthus flower.

It turns out that floripondio contains tropane alkaloids , a nitrogenous compound present in atropine and cocaine, for example. The most notorious is scopolamine, which depresses the central nervous system. In small doses, scopolamine is used in drugs for Parkinson’s, but in high doses it causes paralysis, psychosis, hallucinations and eventually death.

As with Salvia Divinorum , the dose or concentration is not known a priori , and people who ingest floripondio for recreational or shamanic purposes often arrive at emergency centers with severe self-mutilation.

6 Hydrangea

Poisonous house plant dog hydrangea
The hydrangea produces a flower that is arranged in clusters shaped like a crepe. It is a magnificent plant and the flowers are beautiful, but both the leaves (in low concentration) and the flowers (in higher concentration) contain a compound called hydrazine , a cyanogenic glucoside .

Glycosides are a compound where a carbohydrate molecule is linked to a group of some other kind. In other words, one part is sugar and the other can be of many types. Glycosides are usually used to extract the other compound by hydrolysis and there are medicines that are synthesized in this way.

In the case of hydrangeas, the sugar molecule is attached to a cyanide, a relative of cyanide. Since ingestion does not involve hydrolysis, the cyanide molecule is not released into the bloodstream in general, and yet there are documented cases of people, dogs and even horses poisoned by hydrangeas.

7 Lily

Poisonous house plant dog lily
The consumption of its leaves is highly toxic to animals, especially cats, to the point of causing death or chronic kidney failure. As it is not really toxic to humans, no one has ever bothered to determine the active compound that explains its feline harmfulness. Nice thing.

8 Castor oil

poisonous house plant dog castor bean
The current generations have not had to drink castor oil as a tonic or vitamin, but the plant is still present in many homes. The seed is very poisonous and if the aforementioned oil was not poisonous it is because ricin is extracted during its manufacture , a highly toxic protein that causes diarrhea, vomiting and hypotension, but its most harmful effect is that it binds to the ribosomes of cells, preventing protein synthesis and generating cell death that eventually results in the death of the organism.

9 Sage

Poisonous house plant dog sage
We are not referring to the sage used in cooking. Salvia divinorum found in many gardens contains salvinorin , a very powerful hallucinogen and dream-killer . Not as powerful as LSD, but then again, LSD is artificial. Salvinorin is, however, the most powerful herb found in nature.

It was used as an infusion for shamanic practices and divination. Today there are those who use it for recreational purposes. Whether on purpose or by accidental consumption, in high doses this plant generates an altered state of consciousness that can lead to terrifying hallucinations, self-mutilation, occasional psychotic episodes and in some cases permanent ones.

10 Tomato

poisonous house plant dog tomato
Have you ever grown tomatoes in your backyard or bought tomatoes “on the vine”? Well, don’t even think about garnishing your salad with some tomato leaves or stems , because they contain atropine and other tropane alkaloids .

It also has a glycoalkaloid called tomatine that is found in such low concentrations that it does not influence documented cases of poisoning . The chemically isolated compound can be used as a fungicide, however.

Beware of poisonous plants and your furry friend
We don’t want to alarm you, just as always, to inform you and ask you to be careful with your French bulldog , which we know is what matters most to you. We already know how these fatties are, especially when they are puppies that put everything in their mouths. So be careful, and if you have any of these plants, it’s better to keep them away from your furry friend!

Which of these poisonous plants do you have in your home ? Have you ever had a problem with any of them? Do you know of any other toxic plants ? We trust that if you have any, you have them under control so that your French bulldog (or any other breed of dog) can be completely safe. We have two philodendrons in the living room with 3 French bulldogs and nothing has happened. It’s just a matter of keeping them well-educated to avoid possible problems .