Dogs included in Guide to Potentially Harmful Plants for first time

The Horticultural Trades Association, working with plant toxicologists and the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, has updated its Guide to Potentially Harmful Plants to cover risks to pets for the first time.

Most plant species are harmless, but there is a risk associated with a small number of plants used in the house and garden, and even some that are grown for food, and this guide has been produced to address that concern.

The guide recommends labels for plants in 222 genera, an increase from 114 in 2000.  The increase in the number of plants to be labelled is due not only to the new areas covered , but also the significant number of cases and poisoning statistics that have been published since the last review.

The guide sets out voluntary guidelines for the labelling of plants, including bulbs and seeds, which will ensure that the public is informed of potentially harmful plants at the point of purchase.

The guide recommends labelling those plants which fulfil the following three conditions:

• They have been identified as being a significant hazard to humans or pets,

• The toxic parts of the plant are available or produced in the UK,

• The symptoms following ingestion and/or contact can be serious.

Plants are labelled in three categories – A, B and C – according to the severity of the hazard. There are in addition standard labels for loose and pre-packaged ornamental bulbs, and plants with ornamental fruit; while these are considered to have low toxicity, a large ingestion may result in mild symptoms, and bulbs can pose a choking or gastrointestinal obstruction hazard to pets.

The full list of plants is freely available to view or download here.