Yew
Also known as Japanese Yew, English Yew, Pacific Yew, Western Yew, American Yew, Canada Yew, Canadian Yew, Chinese Yew, Common Yew, European Yew, Florida Yew, Spreading Yew, Anglo-Japanese Yew. One plant, one grade per pet — the verdicts below are transcribed from primary sources and human-reviewed.
Yew (Taxus spp.) is life-threatening to cats (S4 Emergency): Pet Poison Helpline says ingestion of any amount or part by small animals results in vomiting, diarrhea, severe drooling, seizure, coma, low heart rate, low respiratory rate, and death. The red flesh of the fruit is non-toxic, but the fruit contains a highly toxic small seed. The ASPCA lists sudden death from acute heart failure.
FULL VERDICT →Yew (Taxus spp.) is life-threatening to dogs (S4 Emergency): Pet Poison Helpline says ingestion of any amount or part by small animals results in vomiting, diarrhea, severe drooling, seizure, coma, low heart rate, low respiratory rate, and death. The red flesh of the fruit is non-toxic, but the fruit contains a highly toxic small seed. The ASPCA lists sudden death from acute heart failure.
FULL VERDICT →Care at a glance
What happens if it's eaten
Signs on record for each animal, transcribed from the cited sources.
- Vomiting, diarrhea, and severe drooling
- Tremors and difficulty breathing
- Seizure and coma
- Low heart rate and low respiratory rate
- Sudden death from acute heart failure
- Death
- Vomiting, diarrhea, and severe drooling
- Tremors and difficulty breathing
- Seizure and coma
- Low heart rate and low respiratory rate
- Sudden death from acute heart failure
- Death
- Seizures in dogs
When to call the vet
Immediately, on any ingestion — seizure, coma, low heart rate, low respiratory rate, death, and sudden death from acute heart failure. There is no safe wait-and-see window.
FULL VERDICT →Immediately, on any ingestion — seizure, coma, low heart rate, low respiratory rate, death, and sudden death from acute heart failure. There is no safe wait-and-see window.
FULL VERDICT →Safe swaps, graded S0
Non-toxic on record for cats — verified against the index at build time.
Seasonal: this plant comes into homes around the December holidays.
FAQ
Which yew plants does this verdict cover?
Taxus spp., the scientific name on the ASPCA Yew entry and on the Pet Poison Helpline Yew page. The species entries print Taxus baccata for English Yew, Taxus brevifolia for Pacific Yew and Western Yew, Taxus canadensus, as listed by the ASPCA, for American Yew, and Taxus sp. for Japanese Yew. Those entries list Taxine A and B and volatile oil. The Yew entry lists Taxine. The same sudden-death signs are on each of those entries. Buddhist pine is Podocarpus macrophylla, and the ASPCA says not to confuse it with yews of the genus Taxus. That plant is a separate record.
Is the red fruit of a yew safe?
No safe-fruit claim is added here. Pet Poison Helpline says the red flesh of the fruit is non-toxic, and that the fruit contains a highly toxic small seed, which makes ingestion poisonous. The same page says any amount or part results in death in small animals. This is an emergency. Do not wait for symptoms. Bring a photo or piece of the plant.