Dahlias are vibrant, puffy flowers, providing gardens with color from mid-summer through autumn. These pretty posies are easy to grow and give the home gardener a huge variety of different sizes and colors to choose from. If you can't resist dahlias, keep your pup away from them; dahlias are a no-no for dogs.
Dahlias: Mildly Toxic
Perhaps Buddy can't help himself when he stops to smell the flowers -- a little nip here, a bite there, and soon enough, he's sampled your dahlias. The ASPCA has dahlias on its toxic plant list for dogs and cats. It's not known exactly what about dahlias make them so disagreeable for pets, but a dog that eats a dahlia may have a mild reaction. If Buddy eats a dahlia, he may experience an upset belly or skin irritation. Keep an eye on him to watch for symptoms and call the vet to report what you see. He may need to pay a visit to the vet; if so, take the plant he noshed on with you so the vet can confirm the diagnosis for proper treatment.