5 Pet Friendly Flowers for Mothers Day
We all want to spoil our mothers and we are grateful for the love and care that they provide every single day. Mother’s Day is a great time to show our appreciation and popular choice is to give or send a bouquet of flowers.
Flowers and plants that are toxic to pets
Many plants and flowers are not safe for pets. Lilies in particular are highly toxic and potentially fatal to cats. Some types are also toxic to dogs. All parts of the plant, including the pollen, flower and leaves are poisonous so if your mum is also a pet parent, request “no lillies please” when ordering your flowers. Other plants that can also be dangerous if eaten by your pet include azaleas, tulips, daffodils and carnations.
5 Pet friendly flowers for Mothers Day
If your mum is a pet parent, there is good news! There are a number of flowers that are pet friendly and safe to send to mum. These flowers are considered low risk for your furry members of the household. It is important to note that, like humans our pets can have allergies and individual needs too. Also, as flowers aren’t a type of pet food, pet friendly plants can cause mild stomach upsets if eaten. So, it is best to place flowers out of reach and encourage them to be left alone. We have compiled a list of 5 pet friendly flowers for Mothers Day.
Roses (Rosa sp.) – a classic, popular pet friendly choice with a romantic touch. However, watch out for the thorns that can cause scratches and wounds if chewed or pounced on.
Gerbera daisies (Gebera jamesonii) – cheerful pet friendly flower in a range of vibrant colours. Also called African daisy, Veldt daisy and Barberton daisy.
Sunflowers (Helianthus sp.) - with their big, bright and sunny blooms, sunflowers are sure to brighten up mum’s day.
Orchids (Cymbidum, Dendrobium, Oncidium and Phalaenopsis sp.) – delicate, neat flower that come in a variety of colours.
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) – bright and boisterous, snapdragons look beautiful in a bouquet.
Roses (Rosa sp.)
Gerbera daisies (Gebera jamesonii)
Sunflowers (Helianthus sp.)
Orchids (Cymbidum, Dendrobium, Oncidium and Phalaenopsis sp.)
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
Pet safety around flowers
A bouquet of flowers can lift our spirits and brighten up our home. Here are some quick safety tips to keep pets safe around flowers:
Keep them out of reach – flowers aren’t food so animals can still experience stomach pains and vomiting if they consume too many leaves and petals from non-toxic flowers or plant species. Eating large amounts of the flower stem can also put your pet at risk of a bowel obstruction. So its best to keep them out of reach.
Powdered flower food – keep in mind that most cut flowers come with a powdered flower food to keep the flowers fresh, which can be toxic to pets. To keep flowers fresh simply remove below water foliage, keep your flowers in a cool place and change the vase water regularly.
Heavy vases – vases need to be heavy to hold all those flowers. Make sure they are in a sturdy, out of reach place to prevent accidental knock overs.
If your pet does consume a poisonous plant or experiences stomach pain and vomiting from eating a plant or flower, call your vet or take them to emergency services immediately.
On behalf of Woofpurnay we wish everyone a safe, relaxing and happy Mothers Day.