Is Kalanchoe toxic to dogs?
Kalanchoe is toxic to dogs (S3 Toxic): its bufadienolides are heart toxins; eating it most often causes vomiting and diarrhea, the ASPCA lists abnormal heart rhythm (rare), and Pet Poison Helpline warns that if a large enough amount is ingested, changes in heart rate and rhythm, weakness, and collapse are possible.
- TOXINbufadienolides
- WHAT TO EXPECTvomiting; diarrhea; abnormal heart rhythm (rare)
- CALL THE VETCall your vet promptly after any ingestion; go immediately if a large amount was eaten, or if your dog has an irregular heartbeat, seems weak, or collapses.
Symptoms
| SIGN |
|---|
| vomiting |
| diarrhea |
| abnormal heart rhythm (rare) |
| changes in heart rate and rhythm (if a large enough amount is ingested) |
| weakness (if a large enough amount is ingested) |
| collapse (if a large enough amount is ingested) |
If your dog just ate it
Same tabletop look, minus the risk
3 tabletop plants graded S0 — non-toxic on record.
Care at a glance
FAQ
Is kalanchoe toxic to dogs?
Yes, on both sources. Every ASPCA kalanchoe entry lists it as toxic to dogs and cats, with the same signs — "Vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rhythm (rare)." — and Pet Poison Helpline's page covers dogs and cats together. Call your vet after any chewing, and go immediately if a large amount is gone from the pot or your dog seems weak, collapses, or has an irregular heartbeat.
Is kalanchoe the same as mother-in-law's tongue, panda plant, or mother of thousands?
Those names cross over between plants, so check the scientific name on the tag. The ASPCA lists "Mother-In-Law Plant" as a name for Kalanchoe tubiflora — but "mother-in-law's tongue" is a name of the snake plant, a different plant graded S1 Caution. The ASPCA's "Panda Plant" entry is not a kalanchoe at all: it is filed under Philodendron bipennifolium. And Pet Poison Helpline lists "Mother of Thousands" among kalanchoe's names, while the ASPCA uses the same name for the piggy back plant, a different plant we have not graded. If the tag says Kalanchoe, this page applies; if it says something else, it does not.
How much kalanchoe is dangerous for a cat?
Our sources don't give a number, and we won't invent one. What they give is a shape. Pet Poison Helpline says ingestion by dogs and cats "most often results in gastrointestinal irritation or upset," but the plant "does belong to a group of plants that contain cardiac toxins (bufadienolides)," and if a large enough amount is ingested "there may still be risk for more severe signs including changes in heart rate and rhythm, weakness, and collapse." The ASPCA lists "abnormal heart rhythm (rare)." Treat any chewing as a call to your vet, and a large or unknown amount as urgent.