Yes. Christmas rose is toxic to dogs and cats. It usually causes drooling and an upset stomach, but it also contains compounds that can affect the heart, so call your vet if your pet eats it.
Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) is a winter-flowering hellebore, not a true rose, sold as a pot plant and grown in gardens. Like other hellebores, it contains cardiac glycosides, saponins and protoanemonin. Chewing it irritates the mouth and gut, and larger amounts can change the heart rate and rhythm. Its relatives the Lenten rose and other hellebores carry the same risks.
Drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and lethargy. Less commonly, changes in heart rate or rhythm, weakness or wobbliness.
Remove any plant material from your pet's mouth and offer fresh water. Call your vet or a pet poison helpline, even if your pet seems fine, because of the risk to the heart. Go straight to a vet if your pet seems weak or collapses.
Data sourced from public ASPCA lists. For general guidance only. If you suspect your pet has ingested something harmful, contact your vet or an animal poison control center immediately. · Privacy Policy