Is lily of the valley poisonous to dogs?

Updated 11/07/2023

Lily of the valley - the seemingly innocent, bell-shaped spring flowers and popular residents of garden flower beds all over the world. But if you’ve got a furry family at home, you might be wondering - is lily of the valley poisonous to dogs? Well here we explore just that, so sit tight to get in the know.

Is lily of the valley poisonous to dogs?

Yes, lily of the valley is very poisonous to dogs. If you think your pooch has taken a nibble on any part of the plant, you should treat it as an emergency and get to your veterinarian as quickly as you can. 

So, why is lily of the valley toxic to dogs? Well every part of the plant contains high levels of cardiac glycosides, but the bulbs are the most dangerous. Glycosides can irritate the gastrointestinal tract but more importantly, they can disrupt the normal function of the heart. Lily of the valley plants also contain saponins, which cause gastrointestinal signs and tummy upsets. The moral of the story? Don’t let your pup anywhere near a lily of the valley plant, and keep any of the lily of the valley plants in your garden well out their way (elevated is always a good shout).

Lily of the valley poisoning in dogs

Now that we’ve established that lily of the valley is toxic to dogs, let’s take a look at the symptoms, diagnosis and possible treatments your pooch may be administered. Every pup and situation is different, so be sure to follow all medical advice provided by your veterinarian if you think your pup has ingested lily of the valley.

Symptoms

As we’ve mentioned, the bulbs of lily of the valley plants are the most toxic and can cause more immediate, life-threatening symptoms in dogs. Below, we’ll explore more of the symptoms of lily of the valley toxicity in dogs, but we can’t stress the need to get emergency medical attention enough.

• Irregular heartbeat
• Decreased heart rate
• Collapse
• Death
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Dilated pupils
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

Diagnosis

If your pooch has ingested part of a lily of the valley plant, your priority is getting emergency advice and treatment from a vet as soon as possible. Although lily of the valley doesn’t cause acute kidney failure as do the other species of lilies, it is still considered very poisonous and treatment should be aggressive. Prompt diagnosis and veterinary intervention is therefore recommended. If you can, go with information about when your pup ingested the plant and take a sample along with you. 

To start with, your veterinarian will perform a physical examination on your pup, assessing their physical appearance, respiration, heart rate and rhythm, temperature, blood pressure, reflexes, plus inspection of the ears, eyes, mouth and nose. 

Treatment is generally symptomatic so your vet will need to assess if your pup's heart rate is regular or chaotic as when they experience an arrhythmia, or if the heart rate is normal or low due to intoxication. These are the immediately urgent symptoms to be assessed and corrected if your pup has ingested these plants. If your pup is vomiting or showing signs of gastric upset, your vet may take a blood test and complete a urinalysis to guide treatment.

Treatment

Vomiting is not commonly induced with lily of the valley poisoning because the toxins are absorbed so quickly into the system. However, your veterinarian may perform a gastric lavage (washing out the stomach under general anesthesia) or administer activated charcoal, a medication given by mouth to absorb any toxins still present. They may also give your pup intravenous fluids to rehydrate the system, along with oxygen and any other medications necessary to treat other symptoms such as heart irregularities or heart rate disorders that have resulted from ingestion of the toxic plant.

Prompt, aggressive treatment is important so if you suspect your pup has ingested lily of the valley plant, seek immediate veterinary attention.

Meet our veterinary expert, Lily

This article has been checked by veterinarian Lily Richards BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS. Lily qualified from Liverpool University in 2011 and spent 5 years as a veterinarian working in mixed animal practice. As Lily’s passion for exotics and exploring more complicated small animal medical cases developed, she stepped into small animal-only practice. By 2018 Lily was leading a busy branch of a large hospital practice with a fantastic team, enjoying working on both surgical and medical cases. Since falling poorly in 2021 Lily has found a new passion in medical writing. Sharing medical knowledge and writing for the public is a particular passion. 

Other plants that are poisonous for dogs

Sadly, some of the most attractive plants us humans plant in our gardens and scatter around our homes are poisonous to dogs. Get clued-up on these starting with our list below.

• Dracaena
• Ivy
• Philodendron
• Morning glory
• Rhododendron