Verdapaw exists to answer a single question for pet owners: will this plant hurt my cat or dog? Most answers online are 2,000-word articles that bury the verdict. We do the opposite — one page per plant and pet, the answer in the first sentence, and everything on the page traceable to a source.
Every plant in our index carries exactly one grade per pet, each bound to a fixed action:
Toxicity facts are transcribed, never generated. Severity, toxic principles, and symptoms come only from primary veterinary sources — chiefly the ASPCA toxic-plant database and Pet Poison Helpline, supplemented by veterinary literature. No record enters our database without at least one primary source, and every verdict page shows its sources and access dates.
The grades themselves are editorial judgments, made by humans against written rules: grading precedents define the boundary between grades (for example, gastrointestinal-only signs versus contact irritation or neurologic signs); where sources disagree, we take the more cautious value; and every S3 or S4 verdict must pass a named human review before it can be published — the review stamp and date appear on the page. When sources leave something out — a symptom timeline, a toxin name — we say "not specified" rather than fill the gap.
One rule overrides everything commercial: serious dangers (S3/S4) are always shown in full, free, outside any paywall.
Verdapaw is an information service, not veterinary advice, and no page here is a diagnosis. If your pet is showing symptoms, contact a veterinarian or a poison hotline — our S3/S4 pages put those numbers at the top. Questions or corrections: contact us.