Are you a pet owner who thinks it's fun to decorate your home with poisonous plants? Well, congratulations! You're in good company with the 1% of people who get to deal with the consequences when Fido decides to make a snack out of your holly plant. According to experts (aka Google), the leaves and berries of this festive favorite are "mildly toxic" to dogs and cats, which is just code for "your pet will probably be fine... until they're not."
But don't worry, it's not like you can just swap out your holly for some non-toxic plants or anything. No way, that would make too much sense. Instead, you get to enjoy the thrill of possibly-poisoning-your-pet- roulette every time you decorate your home with festive greenery.
And don't even get us started on mistletoe. Because what's Christmas without a little bit of potential-kidney-failure, am I right? But seriously, if your pet eats some mistletoe (because who wouldn't want to eat some toxic berries on the holiday), the effects will be "quite mild" – except when they're not, and then you'll have to take your pet to the emergency vet and deal with the guilt of almost-killing them.
Of course, there are plenty of other festive plants that are just begging to be eaten by your curious critter. Like Amaryllis, which is basically just a pretty face – but don't let its good looks fool you, it's got some nasty side effects like vomiting and diarrhea that'll make you wonder why you even bothered getting into the holiday spirit.
And then there are Easter lilies, because who needs Christmas trees when you can have poisonous flowers instead? These lovely white blooms are basically just a ticking time bomb of kidney failure waiting to happen. But hey, at least they're pretty.
But wait, it gets better! Your real Christmas tree is also a potential hazard – not from the ornaments (those are perfectly safe... for now), but from the fallen needles that'll inevitably get stuck in your pet's fur or digestive tract. Just think of all the fun you'll have vacuuming up pine needles while your pet looks on with judgmental eyes.
And finally, we have yew – because what's a holiday party without a plant that's basically just a toxic shrub waiting to happen? Don't worry, the berries are harmless (just like the seeds), so go ahead and snack away!
Merry Christmas, pet owners! May your holiday be merry and bright... unless you accidentally poison your pet with one of these lovely plants.