Although Plant poisoning is a rare occurrence, these things do happen. Depending on the size of the animal, the level of toxicity of the plant, and the amount the animal ate, poisonings range from minor inconveniences to tragic deaths.

To avoid this and to know how to react if a poisoning does happen, it’s important to have all information at hand. Read on to learn is Majesty Palm Safe for dogs and cats. As well as discovering more about toxic plants, symptoms of intoxication, and what to do in such a scenario.

Is Majesty Palm Toxic to Dogs and Cats?

Many people are aware of the dangerous toxic effects of the sago palm, which is dangerous to both cats and dogs. Majesty palms, however, are not dangerous (unless your pet is particularly allergic to palm trees, which is possible, but far-fetched).

Is Majesty Palm Safe for Dogs?

Majesty palms are not dangerous to dogs on the whole. The only way a majesty palm could hurt your dog is if your dog eats too much of the leaves and has trouble breaking them down – dogs, at the end of the day, aren’t herbivores.

Your dog nibbling on the leaves of a Majesty’s palm is more likely to cause some damage to the plant rather than the other way around.

Is Majesty Palm Safe for Cats?

Majesty palms are also harmless for cats. However, since these plants can grow to massive sizes (especially outdoors), it’d be smart to protect them from cats.

Cats will definitely enjoy climbing them, so there’s a chance the cat will hurt the plant or itself in the process. More on protecting plants from pets (and vice versa) towards the end of the article.

What Causes a Plant to Be Poisonous?

Plants are poisonous for the same reason snakes are venomous – self-preservation. No snake in the world can eat an elephant, however, several species possess venom potent enough to kill an elephant in case of self-defense.

The same rule applies to plants – the poison itself is rarely a byproduct of a beneficial process (although there are exceptions to this rule), it was instead created to keep animals away from plants.

After an animal eats a leaf and gets sick, it will learn not to touch that plant anymore. Some plants have developed extremely potent poisons that can easily kill animals after eating them. From a human perspective, that’s a bit of an overkill, but it’s the most effective method of keeping itself safe out in the wild.

When it comes to what exactly is the harmful compound found in poisonous plants, let’s take a look at a few examples.

Narcissi and daffodils, for example, are poisonous and they can kill dogs and cats, as well as adult humans. They contain the poison lycorine, but it is still unknown how lycorine is synthesized.

Another highly poisonous species is the water hemlock, which causes violent convulsions and even death. It is extremely dangerous for dogs, cats, and other animals. In this plant, the poisonous agent is cicutoxin, which attacks the central nervous system.

As we can see from these two examples, different agents are found in different plants. However, not all agents are dangerous because of their contents – some are dangerous because of their shape and form.

Taking some lilies as an example, most lilies can be fatal to cats, dogs, and humans. However, the peace lily does not have an actively toxic agent. What it does have is a countless number of microscopic, pointy crystals that irritate the mouth and stomach greatly when eaten.

However, aside from the severe irritation and burning sensation, peace lilies are not poisonous. 

You can learn more about peace lilies and their toxicity here, as we’ve covered that topic in depth.

What Plants Are Toxic to Dogs?

Now that we know the answer to the ‘is majesty palm safe for dogs and cats’ question, let’s take a look at a list of plants that are toxic to dogs and learn why are they toxic (without including the three species mentioned above).

Sago Palm – a relative of the majesty palm, the sago palm is highly poisonous for animals. About 50% of poisonings through ingestions end up fatal. Every single part of the plant is equally toxic, as they all contain cycasin.

Cardboard Palm – these palms are available at many stores and they often don’t have a toxicity warning. They’re highly toxic to dogs and cats as they too contain cycasin. Eating as many as 2 seeds can be fatal for an animal.

Adam-and-Eve – just like peace lilies, the Adam-and-Eve plant isn’t poisonous, but it contains calcium crystals that cause oral irritation and painful burning. It can also cause vomiting and difficulty eating and drinking.

Aloe Vera – although not too dangerous, this plant will cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.

Apples – although a lot of people have trouble grasping this information, apple seeds are toxic to cats and dogs. They contain cyanide, and depending on the eaten amount, it’s potentially fatal.

Azalea – these plants contain grayanotoxin, which is capable of causing cardiac failure in smaller animals.

Cardboard Cycad – very similar to cardboard palms, these plants contain cycasin and B-methylamino-l-alanine, which are capable of killing small animals even when minor amounts are ingested.

Desert Rose – although beautiful and very popular with collectors, it contains cardiac glycosides. These compounds cause vomiting and diarrhea, but also an irregular heartbeat rhythm and death in some cases.

Dog Hobble – also known as the dog laurel, this plant contains grayanotoxins in such potency that eating a few leaves can cause serious problems, ranging from vomiting to cardiovascular failure, coma, and death.

What Parts of a Plant Can Be Harmful to Dogs?

This depends on the specific plant species. With some plant species, every single part of the plant is equally toxic. In other instances, only the roots, leaves, stems, or flowers are toxic.

Take the cardboard palm as an example – every part of the plant is equally toxic. However, the same cannot be said for azaleas. In this case, only the leaves and the nectar are highly poisonous. 

Although health concerns can be caused by eating the stem, it’s not as nearly as toxic as the leaves.

Irises, which are a popular outdoor plant, have poisonous underground stems that can cause digestive upsets. However, the rest of the plant is not dangerous.

Mistletoe berries and leaves are also highly poisonous, but the mistletoe itself isn’t that poisonous.

When it comes to dog poisoning, it can be difficult to keep dogs away from toxic plants, which is why it’s best to keep toxic plants in an unreachable place. 

Dogs are great diggers, so they’re more than capable of reaching roots, which can be highly poisonous in some species. An example of this is begonias.

What to Do If My Dog Eats a Poisonous Plant?

If you’re absolutely certain that your dog ate a poisonous plant (if you saw them eating one, for example), the first thing you should do is contact your vet. 

Depending on the species of the plant, the size of the dog, and how much they ate, poisoning can be minor or severe.

Some poisonings don’t require bringing the dog into the clinic as they can be treated at home. 

Your vet is the most qualified and knowledgeable when it comes to treatment, and you should always follow their advice.

There are a few things that you should never do.

A common mistake people make is trying to force vomit – this is not only useless, but it’s also dangerous. Your dog could reflexively bite you. The animal is already distressed and having a hand shoved down its throat definitely won’t help the situation.

Additionally, even if you did make your dog vomit through other methods (salt water, for example), it wouldn’t alleviate the effects of poisoning and could cause more damage to the delicate stomach lining, windpipe, and throat tissue.

Secondly, you have to be prepared for the suddenness of the symptoms. Just like in humans, the symptoms of animal poisoning (which we’ll cover in the following section) appear very rapidly, usually in quick succession. Your dog could be fine at one moment and start convulsing aggressively minutes later.

If (or when) this happens, do not panic. Understand that your beloved pet most likely suffered some sort of poisoning and it needs to be taken into medical care.

People are prone to panicking and reacting reflexively – do not throw cold water on your dog, slap them, or pull their limbs to try snapping them out of the fit they’re suffering. It won’t work and you could injure them.

Lastly, you should never wait if your dog is experiencing poisoning symptoms. Depending on the type and severity of the poisoning, it might get worse before it gets better, and getting your dog to the vet early on could make the difference between life and death.

How Do I Know If My Dog Ate a Toxic Plant?

In case you’re suspecting poisoning and you haven’t seen your dog eating the plant yourself, here are the most common poisoning symptoms in dogs.

Vomiting, diarrhea, excessive licking, and drooling are very common with digestive distress. If your dog ingests a substance that’s irritating the inner lining of the stomach, the body will naturally regurgitate the contents to clear it up.

Unlike vomiting, diarrhea isn’t a functional occurrence. Instead, it’s a consequence of the stomach being irritated. 

Both vomiting and diarrhea are common with much more serious poisonings too – making them polyvalent symptoms. They can indicate minor stomach distress, but they can be a signal that something more dangerous is coming.

Blood in the stool is a bit more serious than just diarrhea. Diarrhea is often seen in dogs because of indigestion, which isn’t something you should be worried about.

Blood, however, can indicate internal bleeding (be it very minor or very serious). If there is blood in the stool, you should see the vet immediately, and the same rule applies to very dark (tar-black) stools.

Lethargy and solitary behavior are very common with poisonings – they’re a result of pain and irritation. It’s the natural instinct of a dog to remove themselves from a bustling environment when they’re in pain.

It’s likely that your dog won’t want to interact with you at this time, and they might even react aggressively if you force interaction.

This is often accompanied by the refusal of food and drink. Similar to humans, dogs lose their appetite when they’re distressed and in pain. The same applies to water too, but to a smaller degree. In fact, poisons that cause a burning sensation might force a dog to drink more water, although they feel pain when they swallow.

If the poison has irritated your dog’s throat, they’re going to avoid swallowing both food and water.

The opposite can also happen – if the poison caused your dog to vomit or have diarrhea, it’ll be very thirsty afterward and will drink more water than usual.

Some poisonings can cause internal bleeding, and aside from being seen in the stool, they can cause nosebleeds, or even blood in the mouth (albeit rarely).

More serious symptoms include difficulty breathing, twitching, and convulsing, as well as loss of consciousness. 

Every single one of these symptoms, even when they’re not accompanied by any other symptom, is very serious and requires emergency care!

Difficulty breathing can be caused by the swelling of the trachea, and if you do not react on time, your dog could suffocate.

Seizures can be caused by a plethora of poisons, most of them with a neurological effect, often affecting the central nervous system.

Loss of consciousness is, by far, the scariest and the most dangerous of all symptoms, and it’s often preceded by a seizure. Any loss of consciousness, no matter how short-lasting it is, is a viable cause for seeing the vet.

How Do I Stop My Dog from Eating My Houseplants?

Dogs are, luckily, more easily trained than cats. On top of that, they’re not as nearly as agile, so you can easily move plants out of their reach.

That is, actually, the best way of solving this problem. Hang the toxic plants from the wall or the ceiling and your dog won’t be able to reach them.

If you’re keeping them inside, there are a few ways of deterring dogs away from plants. It’s crucial, however, that your dog doesn’t think of you as the person keeping them away – that way, your dog will only learn to fear you.

For example, you can use motion-triggered bottles of pressurized air – available in pet centers – to spray your dog away from the houseplants. This won’t hurt them, but it will scare them, and your dog won’t know it’s you scaring them.

You can also use dog deterrents, such as lemon solutions and solutions with chili flakes – animals in general avoid bitter and spicy things.

How Do I Make My Houseplants Pet Safe?

Aside from moving them out of reach, you can also use plant cages. These cages can be bought at garden stores and their sole purpose is to prevent animals from getting to the plant.

However, a problem with cages is that they slow down or prevent the growth of your plants (unless it’s a plant that’s reached its maximum size), while they can also cause deformations if they’re not large enough.

If the plant has reached maturity though, plant cages are a great solution.

What Plant Is Good for Dogs and Cats?

African daisies, blooming Sallies, and calatheas are very common, non-toxic plants that don’t pose a danger to dogs or other pets. 

When it comes to cats, Dallas fern, Easter daisies, and figleaf palms are all safe. 

FAQ Is Majesty Palm Safe for Dogs and Cats

Final Thoughts

Majesty palms are entirely safe for pets and you don’t have to worry about poisoning. However, sago and cardboard palms are two popular palm species that are, in fact, dangerous for dogs and cats.

Depending on the exact plant, poisoning can occur after eating any part of the plant or after eating a specific part (such as the leaf or a flower). Most symptoms of poisoning happen very suddenly and follow in succession.