Snake Plant
ToxicThe ASPCA lists snake plant as toxic to dogs. The saponins in its leaves irritate the gut and cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and a swallowed whole leaf can also become an obstruction.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Do not offer as a treat
There is no recommended treat portion for this hazardous item. If swallowed, contact a vet with the amount, time and product details. Do not induce vomiting yourself.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Drooling
- Loss of appetite
- Lethargy
- Abdominal pain
- Dehydration
- Intestinal blockage
- Retching without bringing anything up
More about this food
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), also sold as mother-in-law's tongue or good luck plant, is listed by the ASPCA as toxic to dogs. The toxic principle is saponins and the listed signs are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Saponins act like detergent, lowering surface tension and irritating the lining of the gut directly. So unlike pothos, this is not a mouth-burning plant. It is a plant that turns the stomach over after it goes down.
Most dogs stop at vomiting and diarrhea. Body size decides whether that stays minor. A 10 lb dog vomiting and having diarrhea for several hours dehydrates fast, and dehydration is the real danger for puppies, senior dogs, and any dog with heart or kidney disease. Tacky dry gums, skin over the shoulders that tents and falls back slowly, or a dog too flat to get up are reasons to go in rather than wait it out.
The risk people miss is obstruction. Snake plant leaves are succulent but tough and stringy, and a dog that rips off a whole blade and swallows it is swallowing something that will not break down. The Merck Veterinary Manual treats GI obstruction as an emergency, with anorexia, regurgitation, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or shock depending on where the object lodges and how long it has been there. Repeated unproductive retching, a guarded painful belly, or no stool for a couple of days points that direction.
Snake plant is everywhere in American homes precisely because it is the plant you cannot kill — low light, no water, big floor pots in the living room, right at dog level. If yours has been chewed, save the damaged leaf, estimate how much is missing, and call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Do not induce vomiting at home, and do not let a vomiting dog gulp a bowl of water. Anti-nausea medication, fluids, and imaging to rule out obstruction are veterinary decisions.
Frequently asked questions
- She chewed the tip of one leaf and seems totally fine.
- Small amounts often pass without signs, but saponin irritation can show up a few hours later. Watch appetite, energy, and stool for about a day. If vomiting or diarrhea starts and repeats, call your vet rather than waiting to see how far it goes.
- He vomited twice. Is that enough to go to the clinic?
- For a small, old, or very young dog, yes — repeated vomiting alone dehydrates them quickly, and dry tacky gums or lethargy means go now. For a big adult dog that vomited once or twice and is bright, call the clinic, describe it, and follow what they advise.
- My dog swallowed an entire leaf.
- Now the concern is mechanical, not chemical. Those leaves are fibrous enough to pass through undigested or to lodge on the way. Unproductive retching, belly pain, or no stool is an emergency. Note the time and the size of the leaf and call your vet now.