Sago palm (Cycas and other cycads) in Pets

Sago palm seeds can cause liver failure in dogs. Learn why no safe dose exists, how quickly signs appear, and what to tell your vet if a seed or leaf was chewed.

What It Is

The sago palm is not a true palm but a cycad, a slow-growing plant with stiff feathery leaves. Every part contains cycasin, which damages the liver, and the amino acid BMAA, which affects the nervous system. The orange-red seeds held in the centre of female plants are the most toxic part.

Where Pets Come Across It

Sago palms (Cycas revoluta) are sold as houseplants and bonsai and are planted in gardens in warm climates such as the US South, Hawaii and Australia. The related coontie and cardboard palm (Zamia species) are just as dangerous. Dogs often chew the seeds after they fall.

Which Animals Are Affected

Dogs are most often affected. Cats, horses and livestock are also susceptible.

Published Toxic Dose

No reliable mg/kg toxic dose has been published for pets, because the toxin content varies by plant part and season. Pet Poison Helpline and the ASPCA treat ingestion of any part, especially a seed, as potentially serious, and veterinary case reports describe deaths after dogs ate only one or two seeds. For that reason the calculator does not grade a dose on this page; it reports that no toxic dose is published and asks you to call your vet.

Signs and How Soon They Appear

Vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhoea and drooling can start within 15 minutes to a few hours. Signs of liver failure, such as jaundice, bruising and bleeding, typically develop over two to three days. Wobbliness, weakness and seizures may also occur.

What to Do Right Now

Call your vet or a poison line now, even if your dog seems well; liver damage is often silent for the first day. Bring a photo or piece of the plant. Do not induce vomiting at home. Afterwards, consider removing sago palms from homes with dogs or fencing them off.

Why sago palms became a dog-owner's concern

Sago palms became popular landscape and indoor plants in the 1990s and 2000s, and reports of poisoned dogs rose with them, especially in the US South where the plants produce seed outdoors. Only female plants make the bright orange seeds, which sit in a felty cone in the crown and fall to the ground when ripe; male plants produce a tall, narrow cone instead. Bonsai-sized sagos sold as houseplants rarely produce seeds but their leaves are still toxic. Dogs may chew fronds that have been cut and left for disposal. If you keep a sago palm, collect ripe seeds as soon as they appear, dispose of prunings in a closed bin, and consider replacing the plant with a non-toxic palm such as the parlour palm or areca palm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and References

• ASPCA: Sago Palm
• Pet Poison Helpline: Sago Palm
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Houseplants and Ornamentals Toxic to Animals

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