Home / Safety / Toxic Plants / Wahoo (Burning Bush)
Toxic to dogs. The ASPCA lists wahoo (burning bush) as toxic to dogs. Wahoo is a two tier shrub: stomach signs at ordinary doses, heart rhythm at large ones. A dog that ate fruit in quantity, or shows weakness after chewing the shrub, belongs at a clinic, and any known eating deserves a prompt call.
Wahoo is the native eastern North American Euonymus, also listed by the ASPCA under burning bush and spindle tree, a shrub or small tree grown for scarlet fall color and dangling orange red fruit. The ASPCA lists Euonymus as toxic to dogs. It shares both its names with the Asian burning bush planted in suburbs everywhere, and the listing covers the group an owner actually meets.
The ASPCA names the toxic principle of wahoo (burning bush) as Alkaloids and cardenolides. Wahoo carries two chemical families at once: alkaloids that irritate the gut and provoke vomiting and diarrhea, and cardenolides, heart active compounds in the same broad class as the oleander and foxglove toxins elsewhere in this database. The gut signs arrive first and are the usual story. The cardenolides are why larger doses are described with weakness and abnormal heart rhythm, and why this shrub is never filed as a simple stomach plant.
The clinical signs the ASPCA lists for wahoo (burning bush) are: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weakness; large doses can cause abnormal heart rhythm. Fall is the exposure season. The fruit capsules split to show bright seeds at the exact height of a dog's nose along a hedge, fallen fruit collects under the shrub, and a dog that mouths the display takes seeds and pulp together. Vomiting, diarrhea and a sore, hunched belly are the expected first picture. The cases that change category are the quantity eaters and the dogs that go weak or wobbly afterward, because that is the cardenolide end of the plant speaking, and heart rhythm cannot be assessed on a living room floor.
Most dangerous part: The fruit and seeds, bright orange red and split open on the shrub in fall, and the bark and leaves a chewing dog can strip from low branches.
The name wahoo is shared with an elm and a fish, and burning bush is shared with at least two other unrelated shrubs, which is why this page anchors on Euonymus. Garden center burning bush is usually Euonymus alatus, the Asian species; the ASPCA's wahoo entry names Euonymus atropurpurea, and its western entry Euonymus occidentalis. The genus is the working unit for a dog owner: a Euonymus shrub of any species should be treated as this listing until a poison line says otherwise.
Call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 right away, even if your dog looks fine. Some poisons take hours or days to show their worst effects. Do not make your dog vomit unless a veterinarian tells you to, and keep the packaging, a photo, or a sample of what was eaten to show the clinic.
Rake fallen Euonymus fruit out of the dog's yard through fall, fence foundation hedges away from a fruit eating dog, and think twice before planting any Euonymus where a dog roams unsupervised. Prunings go straight into a closed bin, seeds and all, never onto a brush pile.
For scarlet fall color without cardenolides, take the replacement shrub's scientific name to the ASPCA list and confirm its status before anything is planted. Euonymus is the genus being kept out of the dog's reach. Whatever you plant next, check it on the toxic plants index approach: confirm the plant on the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic list under its scientific name, Euonymus atropurpurea is the name to avoid here, before it goes in the ground or on the shelf.
Yes. The ASPCA lists wahoo (burning bush) (Euonymus atropurpurea) as toxic to dogs. Its toxic principle is Alkaloids and cardenolides, and the signs it lists include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weakness; large doses can cause abnormal heart rhythm.
Call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. Note what part of the plant was eaten and roughly how much, keep any remaining plant material to show the clinic, and do not make your dog vomit unless a veterinarian tells you to.
The fruit and seeds, bright orange red and split open on the shrub in fall, and the bark and leaves a chewing dog can strip from low branches.
It is a Euonymus, usually the Asian Euonymus alatus rather than the native atropurpurea on the ASPCA entry. Treat the genus as the listing: the chemistry and the response to fruit eating are managed the same way.
Not yet. Gut signs can build over hours, and the heart effects belong to larger doses that may not announce themselves early. Call with the amount eaten and the dog's weight and follow the line's timing advice.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog has eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines.
Last updated: November 2026. Every verdict on this page was checked against the sources listed above. How we work: our methodology.
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