What wood is bad for dogs? Expert Advice

Non-Toxic Wood Types

  • Acacia
  • Apple (Pesticide residue likely)
  • Ailanthus – Tree of Heaven
  • Almond
  • Aralia/Fatsia japonica
  • Ash – Fraxinus
  • Aspen – Populus
  • Bamboo
  • Barberry
  • Birch
  • Beech
  • Bois D’Arc – Horse Apple Tree
  • Bottle Brush
  • Butterfly Bush
  • Camellia
  • Citrus (lime, kumquat, grapefruit, orange, lemon)
  • Cork (not wood from the cork oak, but cork)
  • Corn Plants
  • Cottonwood – Populus
  • Crabapple – Malus
  • Crape Myrtle (not the same as Myrtle
  • Date
  • Dogwood – Comus
  • Douglas Fir – Pseudotsuga
  • Dracaena
  • Madrona/Madrone – Arbutus
  • Magnolia
  • Maple – Acer
  • Manzanita – Arctostaphylos
  • Mesquite – remove sharp parts
  • Mimosa
  • Mock Orange – Philadelphus
  • Mountain Ash – Sorbus
  • Mulberry – Morus
  • Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo)
  • Nectarine
  • Norfolk Island Pine – Araucaria
  • Nut Trees – excluding chestnut and oak
  • Orange – several sources lean toward safe
  • Oregon Grape – Mahonia
  • Palm
  • Papaya
  • Peach
  • Pecan
  • Pine – Pinus
  • Photinia
  • Plum
  • Poplar – Populus
  • Pussy Willow – Salix
  • Raphiolepsis – Indian Hawthorn
  • Ribbonwood
  • Rose – Rosa
  • Rubber Plant – Ficus elastica
  • Russian Olive
  • Sassafras
  • Silk Tree
  • Spiraea
  • Spruce – Picea
  • Staghorn Sumac – Rhus not Toxicodendron
  • Strawberry Tree – Arbutus like Madrone
  • Sweet Gum – Liquidambar
  • Sycamore
  • Weeping Willow – Salix (Goat, Pussy, & Weeping)
  • White Alder
  • Weigela
  • It’s quite the list, most of these will be somewhat difficult to get in quantity as they are considered exotic. Consequently, these exotic woods are also quite costly and so can make your dog house quite expensive to build. However, there are many on this list that you can special order or even find regularly available. Leave me a comment and let me know what type of wood you like to work with. Feel free to bookmark our site for easy reference. Now for the darker, more sinister side of the wood. NOT for use on your dog house, coming up next it’s…

    What wood is bad for dogs?

    List of Dog House Wood That is Safe

    Source: http://www.mdvaden.com/ – an arborist site – article about wood safety for use with pets.

    Can dogs chew on cedar wood?

    Although cedar is nontoxic, avoid using chips that are large, especially if your dog likes to dig and chew. Consider using garden fencing to keep your dog from getting into the garden area. Contact your veterinarian if you dog ingests any wood mulch.

    It’s not advisable to give a dog wood to chew as splinters and fragments can get wedged between his teeth and embedded in his mouth and throat. These injuries may result in inflammation, infections and painful abscesses for the poor pooch. … While inhaled pieces of wood may cause the dog to choke.

    What are dogs lacking when they eat wood?