Plants / Sage / dogs

Is sage toxic to dogs?

Sage is non-toxic to dogs (S0 Safe): the ASPCA lists Salvia officinalis as safe for dogs, cats, and horses with no toxic principle on record.

  • TOXINnone — no toxic principles on record
  • WHAT TO EXPECTno symptoms on record
  • CALL THE VETSee a vet only if unusual or persistent symptoms follow ingestion.
S0S1S2S3S4

Nothing to do — really

S0 PROTOCOL
1
No action needed. Sage is safe to keep around dogs.
2
When to call the vet: See a vet only if unusual or persistent symptoms follow ingestion.

Care at a glance

Lightdirect
Waterevery 59 days
Humiditylow
Difficulty●○○

FAQ

Does "sage is safe" cover Russian sage?

No. This page is Salvia officinalis, the culinary sage, which the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs with no toxic principle on record — hence S0 Safe. Russian sage is Perovskia, a different genus that shares only the common name, and the ASPCA carries no entry for it, so we have not graded it and this verdict does not extend to it. If your plant was sold as Russian sage, treat it as ungraded rather than safe.

My cat ate sage leaves — will it be sick?

Not from a toxin. Sage is S0 Safe for cats: the ASPCA lists Salvia officinalis as non-toxic with no toxic principle and no clinical signs on record. S0 means non-toxic on record, not that a big meal of any plant sits well — a cat that eats a lot of leaf may still get an upset stomach. Expect nothing, or at most a vomited leaf, and no vet visit on the sage's account.