What is Tulip Poisoning?
Bright, vibrant, and beautiful, tulips are a gorgeous reminder that spring has arrived. Unfortunately, these colorful flowers are also toxic to dogs, and while they're not as dangerous for your pet as some other popular plant varieties, they can still cause serious symptoms such as elevated heart rate and breathing difficulties in severe cases of poisoning.
Tulips contain toxic glycosides known as Tulipalin A and Tulipalin B. These toxins are found in all parts of the plant, but they're particularly concentrated in the bulb. So if your pet consumes any part of the tulip plant, especially the bulb, contact your veterinarian immediately for treatment advice.
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Symptoms of Tulip Poisoning in Dogs
The poisoning symptoms that result from ingesting tulips occur within just a few hours. Common signs to look for include:
- Vomiting
- Excessive drooling
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Irritation of the mouth and esophagus
However, if your pet has ingested a large amount of the plant or bulbs, severe cases of poisoning could lead to the following symptoms:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Increased heart rate
- Coma
- Depression
- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness
- Lethargy
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Sudden death
Types
The bulb of the tulip contains the highest concentration of toxins, so it's the most dangerous part of the plant for your dog. However, eating the stem, leaves, and flowers can also produce tulip poisoning symptoms.
The tulip is by no means the only flower bulb that contains serious toxins. For example, hyacinths, which are members of the Liliaceae family just like tulips, also contain toxic bulbs that can produce similar symptoms when ingested. Other plant bulbs that can be detrimental to your pet include amaryllis and daffodil.
Causes of Tulip Poisoning in Dogs
The toxicity of the tulip is a result of alkaloid compounds tulipalin A and B. These glycosides not only irritate a dog's mouth and esophagus, they're toxic to our canine friends and can affect protein synthesis.
And while the symptoms of tulip poisoning are typically mild, they can be severe if your pet ingests a large amount of bulbs.
Diagnosis of Tulip Poisoning in Dogs
If you witness your dog eating the tulip plant, identifying the plant correctly is often all that is required for a preliminary diagnosis . So if your pup eats a plant bulb and you are uncertain of the type, take a sample of any remaining bulb or plant material with you to the vet to ensure a speedier identification for treatment.
Blood and urine tests will be used to assess the severity of poisoning, while any plant material found in your dog's vomit will help confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment of Tulip Poisoning in Dogs
There's no antidote for tulip poisoning, so treatment is instead focused on decontamination, support, and managing any symptoms.
Initial treatment will vary depending on how long it has been since the bulb or other plant material was ingested, and what symptoms have emerged. If large amounts of the leaves or flowers have been ingested, or if your dog ate one of the bulbs, they may need to be hospitalized for decontamination and supportive treatments.
If the tulip was consumed recently (within 4 hours), the veterinarian will most likely induce vomiting to prevent the absorption of toxic compounds into the bloodstream. Activated charcoal is also used to soak up as much of the toxin as possible.
If it's been an extended period of time since your dog consumed the tulip, a gastric lavage under general anesthetic may be more appropriate to remove as much of the material from the patient’s stomach as possible. This would not commonly be needed in cases of tulip toxicity.
Other supportive treatment may include giving intravenous fluids for dehydration. As well fluids, this provides a mixture of electrolytes and sugars to adjust for any imbalances that develop. Oxygen will be administered to the dog if breathing is becoming difficult, while the heart, kidneys, and liver will be carefully monitored.
The prognosis is generally excellent for pets that receive the required treatment in a timely manner.
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Recovery of Tulip Poisoning in Dogs
A calm, quiet setting to return home to will help ensure a speedy recovery for the patient. Although symptoms of the poisoning usually last only a few hours, dogs that are recovering from anesthesia, as would be required for gastric lavage, may have coordination difficulties when they first get home. They are often confused and disoriented, and isolation from other pets and children may be advisable until they're back to full health.
In some circumstances, your veterinarian may recommend regular monitoring of blood chemistry levels for your pet, particularly in relation to liver and kidney function. If you have any questions or concerns as your dog goes through recovery, call your veterinarian for advice.
Finally, it's also important to focus on how to prevent tulip poisoning. Ensuring that your garden only contains dog-safe plants is the simplest way to protect them from poisoning, or you can put up fencing to restrict your dog's access. Providing them with a safe space to dig will also protect your garden from damage and ensure that your pup doesn't uncover anything that could potentially be harmful to their health.
Tulip poisoning in dogs can be expensive to treat. If you suspect your dog is at risk of ingesting a toxic plant, start searching for pet insurance today. Wag!’s pet insurance comparison tool lets you compare plans from leading companies like PetPlan and Embrace. Find the “pawfect” plan for your pet in just a few clicks!
Tulip Poisoning Average Cost
From 460 quotes ranging from $200 - $4,000
Average Cost
$800
Top
Tulip Poisoning Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Australian Cattle Dog
Doctor
4 Years
10 found this helpful
10 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
None
My dog dug up a rotten tulip bulb, I caught him within seconds of digging it up, but because it was mush I am unsure if any got in his mouth. What is the best thing to do?
June 8, 2018
10 Recommendations
It is best to rinse out his mouth to be on the safe side and monitor him for any symptoms; it is unlikely that any was actually consumed but keep a close eye for symptoms and visit your Veterinarian if you have any concerns. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
June 9, 2018
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Golden Retriever
Dakota
11 Years
9 found this helpful
9 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Multiple Sympt
My dog Dakota passed away 2 nights ago. We didn’t realize until yesterday morning after sh was gone that she had dug up and eaten 10-15 tulip bulbs completely. she was acting labored all day, drooling and started having walking difficulties towards the end. It was late at night on a holiday weekend and we were going to see how she was in the morning to determine if emergency vet care was needed. We had no idea this was going to be fatal. We feel tremendous guilt now. Wish we had known about the bulb toxicity sooner.
May 29, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
9 Recommendations
I'm sorry that that happened to Dakota. It is quite possible that the tulip bulbs were the cause of her death. Unfortunately, many of the plants that we enjoy are quite toxic to our pets. I am sorry for your loss.
May 29, 2018
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Yorkshire Terrier
Oscar
2 Years
12 found this helpful
12 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Vomiting
My dog a 7 lb yorkue consumed a small amount of a tulip flower, no stem no bulb. He has thrown up a few times. A small amount of the flower came up. Now just bile. What should I look for?
May 13, 2018
12 Recommendations
Small ingestions of tulip leaves or flowers results in severe gastrointestinal symptoms which include drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea; with larger ingestions we may see respiratory or cardiac symptoms. You should monitor Oscar, but I think your should visit your Veterinarian to be on the safe side as I don’t know exactly how much was consumed or the severity of the symptoms. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 13, 2018
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Chocolate Lab mix
Bailey
10 Months
8 found this helpful
8 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
So my dog bailey has just recently ate parts of the tulip bulbs after knocking over our
house plant. What can I do to make sure she doesn’t get sick ? I wanna make sure that I can catch any signs and symptoms as quick as they come on.
April 5, 2018
8 Recommendations
The bulb is the most toxic part of the plant, you should have induced vomiting with 3% hydrogen peroxide and administered activated charcoal but this is only effective within an hour or two of consumption. A variety of symptoms may occur including vomiting, diarrhoea, increase in heart rate among other symptoms; I would recommend you visit your Veterinarian or contact the Pet Poison Helpline for assistance. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/tulip/
April 5, 2018
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Beagle
Dempsey
4 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My dog was acting like he didn’t feel well overnight. This morning he’s not interested in food and I found some vomit in the hallway. I trimmed tulip stems last night and I think he may have eaten a couple trimmings (an inch or less off a few I think fell on the floor) so I think he might have eaten those bc I saw a piece of stem in the vomit. It’s been 12hrs since he would have eaten them. Does he need to go to vet or just watch him today?
March 28, 2018
0 Recommendations
It is good that Dempsey has vomited up the stem but there may be still some plant material inside her and these may cause further gastrointestinal issues or other symptoms; thankfully she didn’t consume any bulbs as these are the most toxic part. I would keep an eye on Dempsey for the time being but if you have any concerns you should visit your Veterinarian to be on the safe side. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/tulip/
March 28, 2018
My dog chewed on a bulb a few hours ago but has zero side effects so far. Is it possible if she did ingest it’s not enough to harm her? She is 27 lbs 5 months old
May 31, 2018
Colleen R.
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Yorkipoo
Lincoln
3 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
None
So I have a 20lb Yorkie-Poodle mix and as I was trimming some Tulips he got to a couple of the trimmings before I could get to them. It’s been about 15 minutes now and wondering I should be rushing to vet. No symptoms in fact he just went and ate his dinner.
Tulip Poisoning Average Cost
From 460 quotes ranging from $200 - $4,000
Average Cost
$800
Get a free pet insurance quote in less than 60 seconds!
Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
