It depends entirely on which lily. True lilies and daylilies cause fatal kidney failure in cats but only mild, self-limiting stomach upset in dogs. The plants that genuinely hurt dogs are the ones that borrowed the lily name: peace lily, calla lily, and above all lily of the valley.
Call a vet or poison control now. Do not wait for symptoms.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.
Part of our guide to Is Lily Safe for Dogs? Identification, Symptoms & Next Steps.
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Why Lily is dangerous
"Lily" covers several unrelated plants with very different risks to dogs. True lilies (genus Lilium) and daylilies (Hemerocallis) are the famous ones, and their notorious effect, acute kidney failure, is specific to cats: the domestic cat is the only animal known to be susceptible. In dogs these same plants cause only minor, self-limiting digestive upset with no evidence of kidney involvement. The plants in this family that do affect dogs directly are not lilies at all: peace lily and calla lily contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth on contact, and lily of the valley contains cardiac glycosides that affect heart rhythm and is the most dangerous of the group.
Part of the Easter Lily guide
For related dog-safety questions and product-by-product answers, see the complete easter lily guide.
Signs to watch for
True lilies and daylilies in dogs: vomiting, drooling, loose stool, reduced appetite. Peace and calla lily: sudden pawing at the mouth, heavy drooling, swollen lips or tongue, refusing to swallow. Lily of the valley: vomiting, slow or irregular heartbeat, weakness, collapse.
Related items
Check the exact item or ingredient before assuming two similar exposures carry the same risk.
What to do next
Work out which lily it was, because that decides everything. Remove the plant, rinse the mouth, and use the species pages below to find the specific answer. If a cat in the household may have been exposed to a true lily or daylily, treat that as the emergency and call now.
🚨Step-by-step: what to do in the first 10 minutes →Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
Every lily, grouped by what it actually does to a dog
Three groups, and the group a plant falls into matters far more than its name. The species pages carry the detail; this is the map.
1. True lilies and daylilies: a cat emergency, a mild dog upset
Lilium species and Hemerocallis daylilies are the plants behind the kidney-failure warnings, and that risk is cat-specific. In dogs, poison-control guidance describes gastrointestinal upset only. Easter lily, tiger lily, asiatic lily, and stargazer lily all sit here, along with the daylily. If you have a dog, these are a stomach problem. If you also have a cat, the plant leaves the house. Start with Easter lily, then compare tiger, asiatic, stargazer and daylily →
2. Not lilies at all, and these do hurt dogs
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) and calla lily (Zantedeschia) are unrelated plants that share only the name. Both contain insoluble calcium oxalates, needle-shaped raphide crystals driven into the mouth tissue the moment a dog chews, causing immediate burning, drooling, and difficulty swallowing rather than a delayed poisoning. They score higher for dogs than any true lily. Peace lily: the calcium oxalate burn, and what to do first →
3. The most dangerous one is also not a lily
Lily of the valley (Convallaria) contains cardiac glycosides that affect heart rhythm and can cause a dangerously slow or irregular heartbeat, weakness, and collapse. It is the one plant in this whole group that is a genuine emergency for a dog at a small amount, and it is the reason this page still carries a toxic verdict. Lily of the valley: cardiac glycosides and why it is the urgent one →
4. And one that is not really a concern
The water lily (Nymphaea) is not on poison-control toxic-plant lists and is unrelated to the true lilies. The honest hazard around a water lily is the pond it grows in, because ornamental ponds can bloom blue-green algae, which can be rapidly fatal to a dog that drinks or swims. Water lily: the plant is fine, the pond may not be →
5. Calla lily, and the rest of the oxalate houseplants
Calla lily behaves like the peace lily, with the highest concentration of crystals in the rhizomes, so a dog digging in a bed can get a worse dose than one nibbling a cut flower. If you are working through the houseplants in general, the toxic-houseplant list covers the wider set. Calla lily: rhizomes are the worst part →
FAQ
There is no single answer, because the group is not one plant. For a dog, true lilies and daylilies have no established kidney-toxic dose and amount only scales the vomiting. For peace lily and calla lily, one determined chew is enough to cause real mouth pain, because the injury is mechanical. For lily of the valley, treat any ingestion as urgent. For a cat, any exposure to a true lily or daylily, including pollen, is a life-threatening emergency.
A nibble of a true lily or daylily by a dog can usually be watched at home with water available. A chewed peace lily or calla lily needs the mouth rinsed and a call, because the pain is real. Lily of the valley is never a wait-and-see plant, and no lily exposure in a cat is.
Any lily of the valley at all, any facial or tongue swelling or trouble swallowing after a peace or calla lily, vomiting that continues past a day, a very small dog that ate a lot, or any possibility that a cat in the home was exposed.
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plants (Lilium and Hemerocallis species; cats)
- Pet Poison Helpline, lilies
- Merck Veterinary Manual, poisonous plants
- Pet Poison Helpline: lilies
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control: toxic and non-toxic plants
- Merck Veterinary Manual: overview of household hazard toxicoses in animals