Sago Palms Are Poisonous To Animals
After seeing so many poisonous plants for sale at the local home improvement store, I decided to start a new category dealing with poisonous plants. The number of poisonous plants used in landscaping and as indoor plants is absolutely staggering. Before you bring any plant into your house, check to see if it is safe for pets and small children.
Sago palms, also called cycad palms are very poisonous. The seeds, fruit and base are loaded with cycasin, a toxin that causes liver failure. Ingestion of just one seed may cause death in a dog. Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, depression and neurologic signs develop within a few hours of ingestion. Abnormalities in the blood work lag behind clinical signs by about 24 hours making it hard to diagnose. Death occurs within hours to days depending upon the amount of poison ingested.
In a study of 60 dogs with sago palm toxicosis, 95% of them developed liver failure and gastrointestinal problems. Neurologic signs including posterior paresis, depression, problems with coordination called ataxia and seizures occurred in 50% of the animals studied. Unfortunately, once clinical signs occur, one third of dogs will die.
If your pet has been exposed to a sago palm, bring them to your veterinarian for immediate decontamination. Do not take a wait and see approach with this poison. If you have these plants in your yard or house, I must suggest you remove them immediately to prevent an accidental poisoning. The following pictures will help you identify this plant.
Reference:
Albretson, JC, et al, "Cycad palm toxicosis in dogs - 60 cases (1982-1997)", JAVMA 1998 Vol 213 (1) pp. 99-101.
Sago palms, also called cycad palms are very poisonous. The seeds, fruit and base are loaded with cycasin, a toxin that causes liver failure. Ingestion of just one seed may cause death in a dog. Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, depression and neurologic signs develop within a few hours of ingestion. Abnormalities in the blood work lag behind clinical signs by about 24 hours making it hard to diagnose. Death occurs within hours to days depending upon the amount of poison ingested.
In a study of 60 dogs with sago palm toxicosis, 95% of them developed liver failure and gastrointestinal problems. Neurologic signs including posterior paresis, depression, problems with coordination called ataxia and seizures occurred in 50% of the animals studied. Unfortunately, once clinical signs occur, one third of dogs will die.
If your pet has been exposed to a sago palm, bring them to your veterinarian for immediate decontamination. Do not take a wait and see approach with this poison. If you have these plants in your yard or house, I must suggest you remove them immediately to prevent an accidental poisoning. The following pictures will help you identify this plant.
Reference:
Albretson, JC, et al, "Cycad palm toxicosis in dogs - 60 cases (1982-1997)", JAVMA 1998 Vol 213 (1) pp. 99-101.
Can't wait to see more of these entries on toxic plants! It can be hard to find reliable information on this subject.
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I love these and have them in my garden, but it never occurred to me to check if they were poisonous plants!
These are sold at almost every garden center and are pretty popular here in Texas... Quite a few of my friends that have dogs or cats and have a garden - they also grow these plants... But I am almost positive none of them realize these palms are toxic.
I had to chase my own cats away from these plants a few times because they kept trying to chew on the leaves..
Thank you for posting - quite useful information!
~E
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We have a 7 mo old Belgian Malinois, who almost died last weekend from after eating the base/heart of a Sago palm. The plant had been in our yard for over 10 yrs, but this spring we pruned the frozen leaves. Our new pup ate the new leaves at the top and then the heart. When he started vomiting and we found pieces of the plant we took him to the emergency vet. After 2 days in the animal hospital he is doing well, and after a week back to his old spunky self. We had no idea this plant was so toxic! Needless to say that we removed it and are informing our neighbors about the risk.
Simon
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I am so glad your dog survived his ordeal. Thanks for informing your neighbors and hopefully, preventing another toxicity. I wish these plants came with warning labels!
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Can't wait to see more of these entries on toxic plants! It can be hard to find reliable information on this subject.
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Recently 2 of our 3 Boston terriers died of poisoning but we thought it was antifreeze. We have a tiny sago palm that died following a freeze in our area of Texas and I pulled off the dead/yellow leaves and tossed them in the yard. Do the dead leaves still carry the toxin? The first one who died was found unconscious and could not be revived. The 2nd one was convulsing and had a locked jaw, the 3rd one we were able to save, she had leg paralysis. The vet tested for antifreeze on our 2nd one and it was positive so we searched and couldn't find any source. Now that I see this about sago palms I'm wondering if the symptoms could present themselves the same way since we observed convulsions, lock jaw, hind leg paralysis, etc. but no bleeding from nose. We are devastated and are simply having difficulty accepting this but since our female survived after 3 days in pet hospital, we want to find the source of poison but can't. Could the antifreeze test given by the vet be a false positive and they were really poisoned by the dead sago palm leaves? The two boys always liked to tug and chew on dead leaves and sticks laying in the yard. I'm sick to death our female will find the source again but I've searched everywhere and there is no antifreeze or ethylene glycol so I thought it could be a plant.
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I am sorry for the loss of your two beloved pets. You are right to question the false positive rate of the ethylene glycol test. The tests performed in veterinary hospitals (Kacey or REACT) are extremely sensitive. They will react with any type of alcohol including the rubbing alcohol used in most hospitals prior to a blood draw. Since antifreeze toxicity is so dangerous, I do not fault either company for taking the conservative route. In my opinion, it is better to have a high false positive rate instead of a high false negative rate when antifreeze is involved.
Based on the symptoms you described, sago palm poisoning is a definite possibility. Other rule outs might include drug toxicity (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications would be at the top of my list because they are so common), heavy metals, rat poison, poisonous mushrooms and xylitol. There are other infectious diseases that can cause similar symptoms but it is unlikely that all three dogs would come down with it at the same time.
I hope that helps you find the source of the poison. I am so sorry for your loss.
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Hello...I am in the process of adopting a pug who ate part of a sega palm 3 weeks ago. She was very sick and in ICU for a week. Her initial ALT was over 3000 but has now dropped down to a normal level and her foster mom says she seems to being doing great. What is your opinion on the long term effects with this type of toxin? Could liver failure still be a possibility in the future?
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I recommend doing a bile acid test which is a superior method for assessing liver function. Of course, you should also do traditional bloodwork as well. If the bile acid values are normal, then I would adopt. Keep the dog on a liver friendly diet for the rest of her life. This may be more conservative than necessary, but why not take a thoughtful approach to diet given her history? Here is hoping for normal results on the test and that she gets a new home with you!
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You should be commended for trying to get the word out about these toxic plants. Our 1.5 yr old Mini Schnauzer is currently in the Animal Hospital for ingesting some Sago Palm. This occurred on Saturday night around 8pm and we noticed she vomitted around 9pm. We went to an ER (it was 11pm by this point due to having to find a 2nd one since the 1st was in emergency surgery), where they explained the treatment and the low odds of survival. After two hours, we received the quote and without question I asked that they start treatment. Chloe's PT/PTT were wnl, all but one liver enzyme was wnl initially. I cannot remember if it was her AST or ALT but it was at 110 (high side of normal is 100). She was started on IV after 2am (I hope treatment was started soon enough). Repeat of PT/PTT today was still normal but will not know her liver enzyme repeat until tomorrow morning as she is scheduled for the redraw at 2 am. She had received Plasma, 2 doses of charcoal, and 2 doses of liver meds prior to 9:30 this morning. She seemed depressed today when I went to see her but she was up and moving around. She didn't appear to be lethargic but was sleepy. We are praying she gets through this okay. Our lives would not be the same without her.
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I am so sorry about Chloe. Please know of my prayerful support. Low expectations are appropriate but her young age is in her favor. It is important to be realistic but I have seen animals pull through this toxicity. I agree with the attending veterinarian that concern for the liver is key. Again, you and Chloe have my best wishes and prayer.
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I don't know where to start, This has been a very heart wrenching 20 days. We lost our 2yr old after 4days in critical care, 12 plasma transfers and 2 blood donors and transferred her from vet, to emergency clinic and then to a specialist. She lost her battle after fighting for her life. This awful plant, I feel awful that I exposed our babies to them. My 10yr old has been hanging on by a thread. After multiple visits for fluids after his original 3 day stay, last week he was sent home with a cocktail of drugs. One of which was CERINIA-his health has seemed worse, I've had an extremely hard time regarding whether I should put him down because he's miserable, but i just keep thinking he'll pull through this. I was looking online for said effect that associated with all the meds. I was shocked and appauled to read that CERINA made by Pheizer in it's first sentence says that it should not be given to pets with liver problems, and that it have never been tested on animals who had ingested toxins- Is this utter malpractice and drug negligence? The regular vet we saw last was the one who prescribed it. They told us that this would help with his appetite since he hadn't been eating at all and I was having to force feed him with a 30cc syringe(a tip that the vet did not suggest)After reading the warning for CERENIA, I immediately called the vet and they said he should be on both Cerinia and Miirazapine(the real appetite stimulant commonly used for canine cancer) Dr. nelson can you please tell me if I'm out of my mind or if in fact Cerinia was causing Beau to be even more ill since his liver is already under attack from the plant.
Please advise...
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First, I am so sorry. This is a terribly sad situation all around. As you know, Sago Palms cause horrible hepatic necrosis. Said another way, they destroy the liver and dogs often die within 72 hours of ingestion. They start hemorrhaging internally due to loss of the factors required to clot blood. It is the liver that produces these clotting factors and that's why death is usually so rapid. It is also why the transfusions were necessary and were needed quickly. The fact that your 10 year old is still alive offers some reason for hope but unfortunately, this toxin is tough to beat.
Regarding Cerenia (maropitant), it is a drug some veterinarians would choose in this situation. For example, it reduces neurogenic inflammation and downregulates cytokine release which is useful in acute hepatic toxicities. It also has a beneficial effect on nausea.
I'm so sorry they got into Sago Palms and that you lost your 2 year old. Please know I hard I am pulling for the older one.
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Everyone is saying if they eat the seeds, base, Fruit. How about just the leaves?
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All parts of sago palms are poisonous. The roots and seeds contain the most toxin. I know of a dog (toy breed) that died after chewing on one branch that was accidentally left by the gardener.
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My dog loves to walk under the sago palm. We have a very large one. It is so strange how she moves and quivers with delight! She likes the feel of the palms on her skin. She acts like it is euphoric! She has never been sick from it. She doesn't eat the leaves. Is this plant a hallucinogen? She definitely gets something just from the feel of it!
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Sago palms are poisonous. I would strongly recommend you keep your dog away from that plant. It causes severe liver failure.
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My almost 3 yr old chihuahua got an old sago palm seed pod from the yard. I noticed he vomited around 11 am sat and seemed sick so I looked through the barf to see what it was and I found parts of the pod. I took him to his reg vet who gave him fluids,stomach meds and drew blood. The ALT was 130..on the high end. It's now been 48 hours, my vet gave him 2 more doses of fluid Sunday and when he drew blood today, the ALT is over 800. He now has my dog on intensive fluid therapy because he said my dogs definitely had more life in his face today but his liver was having issues.My question is, at over 800 ALT, can the damage possibly be reversed? My vet seems to think its a good possibility.
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With sago palms it takes several days to determine the full extent of injury. Because the liver is such an important organ, it can regenerate to a certain extent. The key is to keep the patient going to allow the regeneration to occur and do everything possible to help the liver function. In veterinary college, I had a patient in a similar situation. His lab values were getting worse but he looked better clinically. My professor reminded me to "treat the patient, not the lab values." This dog went on to make a complete recovery with the help of a special diet and liver supplements. Hang in there and try to visit your dog as much as possible. It is important for him to know you are still a vital part of his life.
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Earlier today my 6 month old pit bill took a sago palm out of the ground and ate the entire pod. It was small and freshly planted it she ate the whole thing. When I got home from lunch I found that she had eaten it and shortly after she began to vomit, about ten times it looked like she had gotten all of it out of her system but I took her to the er anyways not having any clue that these plant were highly toxic. On the way to the er she threw up twice in the car and when I got there she was immedietly taken back to begin treatment the dr said that her stomach was empty which was good but we still don't know what her liver enzyme level is. After the first set of labs everything was within normal limits which is good but they will do a second set in the morning. My wife and I are sitting on pins and needles worried about our pup I hope that everything that we have heard so far is good and that she will be ok. She is staying the night in the hospital I just want to know that she will be ok.
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What are her values this morning? If the liver enzymes aren't too elevated, her chances of making a complete recovery are good. Talk to your veterinarian about a diet and supplements that will help her liver recover once she is out of this critical window. Please let me know how she does, Dr. Nelson
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