Dogs are mischievous animals, and there’s no way we can deny that.
They are constantly looking for the next activity to engage themselves in, and in this, even their owners can’t help them behave.
As a dog owner, one must be constantly vigilant about what their dogs are eating and what they’re playing with.
Dogs like to sniff, explore and put random objects in their mouths. This habit can sometimes lead to a whole lot of trouble.
Many cats and dogs have fallen ill because of something they consumed in the middle of playing with it.
If you’re someone who likes living things of all kinds, then it’s only natural that you’d have both a succulent and a dog in the same vicinity.
However, if you own an indoor plant like a succulent or a cactus, you’re probably wondering if it can harm your dog in any way.
Having a dog is similar to having a child; you have to ensure that they don’t put themselves in harm’s way.
In the article below, we’ll inform you if it’s okay for your dogs to eat cactus and what you should do if they ingest it accidentally.
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Are Cactus Plants Poisonous to Dogs?
The simple answer is that they aren’t poisonous or dangerous to your dogs, and it’s completely fine for you to have a succulent or two around in the presence of your dogs.
However, you need to ensure that your dog doesn’t try to ingest any succulents or cactus plants since you want to save a trip to your dog’s vet.
With the small succulents and cactus plants, which are slowly becoming a fixture on everyone’s work and home desks, it’s only natural that you would want to know what it means if a dog does ingest them.
Dogs are very curious, and they like sniffing around in everyone’s business to determine if they have something they can eat.
As the dog owner, it’s your responsibility not to bring anything potentially dangerous to your dog into the house.
However, we’re here to tell you that cactus plants are not poisonous to your canine. However, the structure of the cactus means that it has spines.
If your dog takes a bite out of your cactus plants and has spines all over its tongue, you’ll have to go to the veterinary clinic.
If you bring anything poisonous to them into the house, you have to keep track of it to make your dog ill or worse. With cactus plants, it’s not that they may be poisonous.
Because we know they’re not, but rather, the plant material can irritate your dog’s stomach.
The irritation can lead to gastric and intestinal issues.
When you buy a cactus, you have to know that it likely has a significant amount of pesticides and fertilizers in it.
These chemicals could be harmful or potentially fatal to your dog’s health.
While a cactus may not be poisonous to all dogs, cactus can still be bad for your dog.
You may find that your dog is allergic to cacti, or the dog may react adversely to the cactus sap.
Thus, you should try to keep your canine and cactus as far away from each other as possible.
Why is My Dog Trying to Eat the Cactus?
Dogs are naturally curious creatures. They explore their world using their nose and then eventually their mouths.
Anything you bring into your home automatically also becomes something they can get their nose and mouth into.
You must also know that dogs are omnivores, so they can eat all sorts of meat and vegetables.
Since cactus is a plant, you shouldn’t be too surprised to know that your canine will chomp on your cactus, thinking it is good.
Dogs need to get their roughage too, and if you place a cactus in their eye-line, you’ll find that they treat it like a snack. Roughage is good for your dogs as it lets them have better bowel movements.
Better bowel movements mean that they can pass digested food through your intestines with much more ease.
Nature also means that your dog’s first instinct when they see something even remotely edible is to eat it.
They may think that if they don’t eat something, they will have to starve, which makes them eat your cactus even if their stomach is full with all the food you gave them.
If you’re not stimulating your dogs enough, they may also be looking for an activity.
The lack of activity will have them eating the cactus straight out of boredom.
Parasites are also huge culprits in why your dog is trying to eat everything that it comes in contact with.
If you think your dog has developed some health issue where they’re eating everything that’s in front of them, you may want to take your dog to the vet’s office so that they may check for any irregularities.
How Do You Know If Your Dog Has Ingested the Cactus?
One very clear sign is that the cactus will no longer be wherever you may have kept it. However, you’re also not likely to be checking up on your cactus every day.
Your dog may experience some symptoms that tell you that your dog may have eaten something they were not supposed to.
The sap substance, which the cactus plant is known to be acidic, and these properties may hurt your dog.
The symptoms your dog shows depend on how much cactus your dog ate and their size in proportion to it.
Your dog may display the following signs that things may have gone awry:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Stomach Pain
- Diarrhea
Sometimes your dog may not eat the cactus but might have sniffed it or gotten it in its eye.
These are the following signs which you can observe:
- Swelling Around the Eye
- Blindness
- Ulcers
- Rashes on the Skin
- Blisters
- Burning
- Irritation within the skin
Are There Other Succulents Which Are Poisonous to Dogs?
Cactus plants aren’t the only plants that may potentially be dangerous for your dogs.
Succulents like Aloe vera, Kalanchoe, Jade, and Euphorbia are all succulents that, most studies have shown to be poisonous to canines and felines alike.
So even if you have a cat instead of a dog, you shouldn’t buy these succulents.
On the other hand, you can get succulent named hens and chickens.
You can get Haworthia and Burro’s tail as well. Burro’s tail isn’t your typical small succulent, but you can still invest in it if you want.
Final Thoughts
Cactus plants are not poisonous to your dogs. However, you would prefer to keep them as far away from your dogs as possible.
Just because they’re not poisonous doesn’t mean that they can’t be dangerous to your dog’s health and even potentially be fatal if they have too much of it.
Cactuses have spines that could cause a tear in your dog’s throat if they ingest it.
There is also acid in the cactus sap, which can cause your dog to have an adverse reaction to the cactus. However, if something of this sort does happen, your first response should be rushing to the veterinarian.
They have likely dealt with other instances similar to yours.
