38 Household Plants that are Toxic to your Pets

We all have plants at home that have been thought to be safe but is actually proven to be quite harmful to our pets. Most pets have a nasty habit of eating peculiar things, especially when they are outside, and plants just happen to be one of them. To avoid pets chewing on plants at all, according to studies, add more fiber to their diet so they won't crave for vegetation. Another way to avoid any of these is to know which plants are toxic. Listed below are the top 38 Household Plants that are toxic and the common signs of poisoning attributed to the plant.

1. Aloe Vera
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea, anorexia, tremors, change in urine color.

2. Asian Lily
Toxic to: Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, kidney failure, and death is possible. Cats are only species known to be affected (toxic to cats only).

3. Asparagus Fern
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Allergic dermatitis with repeated dermal exposure. Berry ingestion could result in gastric upset (vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea.)

4. Baby's Breath (Gypsophila or Gyp)
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea

5. Begonia
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing. Tubers are the most toxic.

6. Bird of Paradise Flower
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Mild nausea, vomiting, drowsiness; caused mainly by fruit and seeds. Should not be confused with Caesalpinia or Poinciana gilliesii, which is also known as Bird of Paradise and is more toxic.

7. Bread and Butter Plant (Indian Borage, Spanish Thyme, Coleus, Maratha, Militini, East Indian Thyme)
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression, anorexia, occasionally bloody diarrhea or vomiting

8. Calla Lily
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing

9. Carnation
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Mild gastrointestinal signs, mild dermatitis

10. Charming Dieffenbachia (Spotted Dumb Cane / Dieffenbachia)
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth , tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing

11. Chrysanthemum
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, hyper-salivation, in-coordination, dermatitis

12. Cornstalk Plant (Ribbon Plant, Corn Plant, Dracaena, Dragon Tree)
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hyper-salivation, dilated pupils (cats).

13. Cycads (Sago Palm, Fern Palm)
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting (may be bloody), dark stools, jaundice, increased thirst, bloody diarrhea, bruising, liver failure, death. 1-2 seeds can be fatal.

14. Daffodil
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, salvation, diarrhea; large ingestions cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors and cardiac arrhythmias. Bulbs are the most poisonous part.

15. Dahlia
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Mild gastrointestinal signs, mild dermatitis

16. Eucalyptus
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, weakness

17. Gardenia
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Mild vomiting and/or diarrhea, hives.

18. Geranium

Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, anorexia, depression, dermatitis.

19. Gold Dust Dracaena
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: In cats, dilated pupils, abdominal pain, increased heart rate and drooling. In both cats and dogs: vomiting, depression, inappetence, drooling, in-coordination, and weakness.

20. Hydrangea
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea. Cyanide intoxication is rare – usually produces more of a gastrointestinal disturbance.

21. Jade Plant
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, depression

22. Lacy Tree Philodendron
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of the mouth, lips, tongue, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing.

23. Lemon
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential photo-sensitivity

24. Lily
Toxic to: Cats
Non-Toxic: Dogs
Signs of Poisoning: kidney failure.




25. Lime
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression; potential photo-sensitivity

26. Mistletoe "American"
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular collapse, dyspnea, bradycardia, erratic behavior, (hallucinogenic in humans). Vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure (rare).

27. Narcissus
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, salvation, diarrhea; large ingestions cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors and cardiac arrhythmias. Bulbs are the most poisonous part.

28. Pencil Cactus
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity.

29. Peony
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, diarrhea, depression

30. Pigtail Plant (Flamingo)
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing

31. Poinsettia
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity

32. Primrose
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Mild vomiting

33. Privet / Wax-Leaf
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Gastrointestinal upset (most common), in-coordination, increased heart rate, death (rare).

34. Taro / Elephant Ears / Caladium
Toxic to: Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing.

35. Tomato Plant
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Hyper-salivation, inappetence, severe gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, drowsiness, CNS depression, confusion, behavioral change, weakness, dilated pupils, slow heart rate.

36. Tulip
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea, hyper-salivation. Highest concentration of toxin in bulb.

37. Water Hyacinth
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting, anorexia.

38. Wisteria
Toxic to: Horses, Dogs, Cats
Signs of Poisoning: Vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, depression

For a comprehensive listing of toxic and non-toxic plants

(those that are safe for your pets) please follow this link.

Coffee to Kick-Start your Day!

Coffee to start the day right. 

Prayer to make it all bright. 

Wishing for rain and a little bit of sun. 

Hoping to see the rainbow when all of this is done. 

I just made poetry! 

How do you start your day?

Have a blessed Thursday morning! :)

Image courtesy of KC Concepcion's Multiply Site.

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Cure for Sadness: Laughter

Glum glum glum. Very glum week indeed. Good thing I have an outlet. Watching  the TV show / Podcast "The Ricky Gervais Show" with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington, is my cure. I can't help but wonder how geniuses they all are, especially with Karl's out of the box ideas (and intriguing Diary!). They truly are modern day philosophers, this show really makes you think, and forget about your worries, even just for while. 

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Healthy Living: Yoga for Beginners

I am telling you, after doing personal Yoga, I felt relaxed and immediately experienced tremendous relief in my right arm (which lately have been showing signs of carpal tunnel).

I did not follow a video instruction which I had once before (couple of years ago).  I just did a few warm-up exercises before doing the actual Yoga. This loosens your joints and muscles to make it more flexible, plus you'll avoid any serious Yoga injuries. So these warm-up exercises are a must!

Stretching Exercises

(Some of the stretching exercises shown in image are easy to follow, others indicated below which are not included in the image are also easy to do)

Stretching - stretch your shoulders to the far back, releases tension, improves posture, while stretching do not forget to inhale and exhale.
Eye Exercises - without moving your head, move your eyes to the left, right, up and down.
Neck Exercises - turn your head slowly to the left (stop for a few seconds at every turn) then turn to the right then up and down (do this carefully to avoid serious neck injuries or stiff neck) if done correctly you will feel the tension in your neck disappear.
Shoulder Lifts - lift your shoulders up and down, to the front and to the back, inhale and exhale.
Arm Swings - swing your arms and bring it to the sides and bend towards the waist, inhale and exhale.
Trunk Swing - swing your trunk to the left and to the right, inhale and exhale.
Jog in Place - to get your heart pumping, as a cardio exercise, jog in place for a good 5 minutes, inhale and exhale.
Jumping Jacks - do a few jumping jacks, additional cardio exercise, for 5 minutes as well. Inhale and exhale

I did these warm-up exercises personally, afterward, I did the Basic Yoga Poses like the following image:

Basic Yoga Poses

I am intent on doing Bikram Yoga eventually but I have to prepare myself for a few days before doing the actual Bikram Yoga. I have seen the basic poses and I don't think my body is ready to do those quite yet, I am honestly not that fit, yet..but I am determined to do this. So wish me luck! And good luck to you too, should you intend to do Bikram Yoga in the future as well.

 Bikram Yoga

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Beautiful Italian Artwork from Nicoletta Ceccoli

 

Nicoletta Ceccoli is an Italian artist who is born and raised in the Republic of San Marino. 

Her works are noted for being dreamy and often depicting girls in a twisted fairy tale setup. 

She studied animation at the Institute of Art In Urbino, Italy.

Her work is influenced by Italian, American, English, Spanish and Lithuanian Artists, namely:
Domenico Gnoli, Paolo Uccello, Mark Ryden, Ray Caesar, Remedios Varo and Stasys Eidrigevicius.
Check their paintings below and you can clearly see how they influenced her work in a major way.

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Tech Obituary: The Rotary Phone

Back when you were the "IN" thing, people would spend hours holding your handset to their ears til they turn red with sore. It was that time of wrong numbers, party-lines, phone pals and no-dial tones. An emergency call that takes a few minutes to make since the dial has to turn back to it's position before you can dial another number, you do this with every number of that phone your trying to reach. Good thing, numbers were short then (6 digits). It was because of you dear old rotary phone, that people back then have sharp memories. Imagine having a mental note of the phone numbers of everyone close to you. We didn't need a notepad for that, all we have to do to remember is just to dial away. I miss your no-nonsense ring tone, your

very long twisty cord, and listening in to an extension phone. The clear phone is your daughter, which by the way is also a grandma now. 

I miss the old times. Too bad today's generation never got to experience you. 

Your memory is now reduced to being a cool smartphone add-on (a phone handset connected to the smartphone, how insulting!) 

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