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This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.

ASCPA Website for Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants for Pets (Dogs, Cats, Horses, Birds, etc.)

❗Never allow animals to ingest essential oils and do not apply essential oils to animals. Use organic fresh herbs for internal medicine and culinary use.

❗Diffusing Essential Oils: Toxicity varies for each essential oil, research specific animal toxicity and side effects prior to use. Avoid diffusing essential oils around animals. Inhalation exposure may be toxic and oil microdroplets collect on your animal fur. Diffusing essential oils allows dermal absorption or eventual ingestion once the animal grooms or licks themself. Animals lack the metabolic processes of the human body, and animal’s smaller bodies are more susceptible to the accumulation of essential oils. Buildup of toxic oils or aerosol inhaled exposure may cause respiratory distress, liver damage or failure, or death.

For those who diffuse essential oils, consider diffusing in a room where animals don’t venture to, limit diffuser use 30 minutes once or twice each day. Provide access to another room or fresh air if the animal is uncomfortable with the diffuser. Animals have a much stronger sense of smell than humans. Observe your animal family member’s behavior and stop using the oils if they show signs of distress, such as drooling, squinting, or vomiting.

🐕 Dogs

Foods and Beverages

Common Foods: Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, zante currants, cashews, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, chocolate, moldy food, and raw bread dough containing yeast are all toxic to dogs.
Moldy, rotting, or foul-smelling food.
Canned Goods: Baked beans and other canned beans, which are high in sugar, salt, and preservatives, and may contain toxic ingredients like onion, garlic, and tomato.
Salt: Canned foods, such as spam, corned beef hash, refried beans, etc., are high in salt and may contain spices that are bad for dogs and may upset a dog’s stomach. Avoid giving high salt homemade meal scraps to dogs.
Beans: Raw kidney beans, which contain a toxin that may harm your dog’s red blood cells. Broad beans (fava beans) and lima beans, which may be toxic and cause gastrointestinal issues. Chili beans, which are rich in spices that may cause stomach problems.
Caffeine: Coffee beans, coffee, and energy drinks contain caffeine which is very dangerous for dogs and may cause neurological damage or death. Other naturally caffeinated items to avoid giving to dogs are caffeinated tea, kola nuts, yerba maté, guarana plants, acai, and cacao pods.
Xylitol: An artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free food and toothpaste products, xylitol may cause vomiting, decreased activity, weakness, staggering, incoordination, collapse, seizures, difficulty walking or standing, shaking, and coma in dogs.

Home Goods

Antifreeze: Has a sweet taste that dogs are attracted to and may drink if they find it. Even a small amount of antifreeze may be fatal to dogs, causing irreversible kidney and liver damage. Antifreeze poisoning in dogs usually occurs when ethylene glycol, a main ingredient in antifreeze, leaks from a car’s radiator or screen wash container.
Other Household Items:
◦ Potpourri
◦ Medicine and Prescriptions
◦ Asthma Inhalers
◦ Petroleum Jelly (also in lotion, soap, and makeup)
◦ Playdough
◦ Vitamins
◦ Toothpaste and Mouthwash
◦ Dryer and Fabric Softener Sheets
◦ Toilet Water
◦ Tobacco products
◦ Coins
◦ Lead Paint
◦ Batteries

Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in dogs from excessive diffuser exposer or ingestion are excessive drooling, foaming at the mouth, respiratory problems, vomiting, gagging, decreased appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, depression, skin or mucous membrane irritation, and tremors.

Essential oils safe to diffuse around dogs in moderation:
◦ Chamomile
◦ Lavender

Essential oils toxic to dogs:
◦ All other essential oils considered “toxic” to dogs.

🐈 Cats

Foods and Beverages

Onions, garlic, and chives: These may break down a cat’s red blood cells, causing weakness, shortness of breath, and anemia.
Moldy, rotting, or foul-smelling food.
Chocolate: Theobromine, a substance in chocolate, is toxic to cats, and dark chocolate is more toxic than milk chocolate.
Raisins: Glycoside, a compound in raisins, may cause kidney failure in cats, and even a small amount may be dangerous.
Raw yeast dough: Raw dough that contains yeast may cause severe stomach swelling and create alcohol, which may make a cat drunk.
Alcohol: Alcohol may cause vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, shaking, disorientation, and liver and neurological damage in cats, and even small amounts are dangerous.
Xylitol: An artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free products, xylitol may cause seizures and liver failure in cats.

Home Goods

❗Specific essential may oils may be safe for cats in very diluted concentrations when diffused. Cats absorb essential oils through their skin and their livers can’t get rid of the toxins and may cause liver damage or liver failure, as well as central nervous system damage. Cats groom themselves, any oil that diffused throughout the room and adheres to the fur is likely to be licked and ingested.

❗Always supervise cats when they play with toys, and dispose of anything that appears damaged or unsafe. 

◦ Indoor plants (be mindful of the toxicity of plants when bringing them inside, as cat may nibble on them or destroy them).
◦ Small objects.
◦ Stringy objects (rubber bands, paper clips, pins, needles, sharp objects, plastic milk jug rings, string, yarn, ribbons, plastic bags, all of which may block a cat’s digestive tract and could result in death).
◦ Children’s toys with small or breakable parts (legos, cotton or polyester toy filling)
◦ Cat toys with feathers and string may be dangerous if a cat removes them and eats them.

Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in cats from excessive diffuser exposer or ingestion are excessive drooling, respiratory problems, vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, lethargy, depression, skin or mucous membrane irritation, and tremors.

Essential oils should not be diffused around cats, who are very sensitive and have a very vulnerable respiratory system compared to humans. Alternatives are feline diffusers that add calming pheromones to create a sense of security for cats, air purifiers to remove dust and allergens from the air, pet safe potpourri, and ventilation by opening windows or using fans to circulate fresh air and improve indoor air quality.

🐎 Horses

Foods and Beverages

Onions: May cause digestive problems if eaten in small amounts, and more serious illness if eaten in quantity.
Fruit: Overconsumption of any type of fruit may cause digestive issues, and fruit may also be a choking hazard if eaten too quickly.
Tomatoes: The leaves and unripe tomatoes of the tomato plant are potentially poisonous to horses
Avocado: The fruit, leaves, seeds, and stems of avocados contain persin, which may be toxic to horses. 30 grams of leaves per kilogram of a horse’s body weight may be fatal, and lower doses may cause colic.
Chocolate: Contains theobromine, which may cause seizures, internal bleeding, increased heart rate, restlessness, muscle tremors, and diarrhea.
Potatoes: Contain an alkaloid that may cause colic, thirst, diarrhea, labored breathing, and lack of coordination.
Bread: May become doughy and blockages, which may lead to colic.
Dairy products: Horses are lactose intolerant, so dairy may cause severe diarrhea and digestive problems, including colic.

Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in horses are excessive drooling, colic, coughing, respiratory problems, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, diarrhea, uncoordinated movement, red, inflamed, or irritated skin, licking or pawing at the irritated area, lethargy, seizures, and tremors.

Essential Oils Safe for Horses:
◦ Chamomile
◦ Lavender

Essential Oils Toxic to Horses:
◦ All other essential oils considered “toxic” to horses.

🦜 Birds

Foods and Beverages

Onions: Although small amounts of onion in flavorings may be safe, too much onion may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other severe digestive issues in parrots.
Moldy, rotting, or foul-smelling food.
Avocado: The pit of an avocado contains persin, a toxin that may cause breathing and digestive issues, lethargy, and sudden death in birds.
Chocolate: Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which may cause vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, seizures, and even death in birds.
Caffeine: Caffeine may cause irregular heartbeats, hyperactivity, and cardiac arrests in birds, even in small quantities.
Cooking fat: When cooking fat mixes with meat fluids and sets, it may spread and damage a bird’s feathers.
Junk food: Processed foods like corn flakes and biscuits contain artificial colors, ingredients, preservatives, sugar, and salt, which may be hard for birds to digest and cause health problems.

Home Goods

Aerosols: All household sprays, including aerosols and air fresheners, are toxic to parrots.
Doors and Windows: Open doors and windows can be dangerous for birds, as they may fly away and get hurt.
Fumes: Some fumes that are not dangerous to other pets or humans may be deadly to birds in minutes.
Electrical Wires: Birds may die from colliding with electrical wires, with estimates suggesting that 8–57 million birds die from this each year in the United States.
Air Quality: Birds’ droppings and feathers may carry dangerous bacteria, ticks, mites, and other pests, which may be sucked into an air conditioner and lead to poor air quality.
Infectious Diseases: Birds may carry contagious diseases, so exposing them to other birds with unknown health status or bringing a new bird into the home without quarantining and vetting it first can be dangerous.
Pesticides: Outdoor or indoor pesticides could make birds sick or kill them. Know when pesticides are sprayed around the house and avoid exposing bird cage components (shelves, toys, wire racks, etc.) to dry in those locations to prevent them from becoming contaminated.
Other Household Items:
◦ House plants
◦ Medicine and Prescriptions
◦ Stove tops
◦ Open toilets
◦ Blankets
◦ Clothes dryers
◦ Sinks
◦ Vacuum cleaners

Essential oils should not be diffused around birds, who are very sensitive and have a very vulnerable respiratory system compared to humans. Alternatives are air purifiers to remove dust and allergens from the air, pet safe potpourri, and ventilation by opening windows or using fans to circulate fresh air and improve indoor air quality.