Sago Palm poisoning in dogs and cats
Toxic agent: Cycasin · Reviewed 2026-08-18
Phone a vet now, before reading on. Have ready: your pet's weight, roughly how much was eaten and when, and the packaging if there is any. ASPCA Animal Poison Control (+1 888 426 4435), Pet Poison Helpline, or Animal PoisonLine in the UK.
Sago palm is the houseplant with the worst survival statistics in this whole list. Chewing one or two seeds can destroy a dog's liver, and roughly half the animals that ingest it die even with treatment.
What it actually does
Cycasin is metabolised in the gut into methylazoxymethanol, which is directly toxic to liver cells and also damages DNA. Acute liver necrosis follows. Every part of the plant contains it, and the seeds — the round orange ones at the centre — contain the most by a wide margin.
How much matters
Very little plant is needed:
| One or two seeds | enough to cause fatal liver failure in a dog |
|---|---|
| Leaves and stem | toxic, less concentrated than the seeds |
| Reported mortality | around 50% even with aggressive treatment |
| Not a true palm | Cycas revoluta, sold as a cycad, king sago or Japanese sago |
This is the entry where waiting to see is least defensible. Liver failure from cycasin is difficult to reverse once established, so treatment starts before signs appear.
What you will see, and when
Onset: 15 minutes to 6 hours for vomiting; liver failure at 2–3 days. Typical course: Up to a week of intensive care.
- 15 min – 6 hoursVomiting, drooling, diarrhoea, often with blood
- 12–24 hoursLethargy, thirst, jaundice beginning, bruising
- 2–3 daysLiver failure, clotting failure, seizures, neurological signs
What the vet will do
Aggressive decontamination and repeated activated charcoal, intravenous fluids, liver protectants such as N-acetylcysteine and SAMe, vitamin K and plasma for clotting failure, anti-nausea medication and glucose support. Liver values are followed for days. No antidote.
Outlook
Poor to guarded — the worst on this list. Early, aggressive treatment before signs develop gives the best chance.
Dogs and cats are not the same here
Both, dogs far more often, and puppies chewing a pot plant is the classic history.
Where it comes from in a normal house
- Houseplants sold as sago palm, cycad or king sago
- Bonsai cycads
- Outdoor planting in warm climates
- Garden centres — often unlabelled as toxic
The thing people get wrong
“Only the seeds are poisonous, so a chewed leaf is fine.”
The seeds are the most concentrated, not the only toxic part. Leaves and stem contain cycasin too, and given the mortality rate this is not a plant to reason your way out of a vet visit over.
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Get PawLife on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
How much Sago Palm is dangerous?
This is the entry where waiting to see is least defensible. Liver failure from cycasin is difficult to reverse once established, so treatment starts before signs appear.
How long after exposure to Sago Palm do symptoms start?
15 minutes to 6 hours for vomiting; liver failure at 2–3 days. Vomiting, drooling, diarrhoea, often with blood. Up to a week of intensive care.
Is Sago Palm worse for cats or dogs?
Both, dogs far more often, and puppies chewing a pot plant is the classic history.
Is it true that: Only the seeds are poisonous, so a chewed leaf is fine.
The seeds are the most concentrated, not the only toxic part. Leaves and stem contain cycasin too, and given the mortality rate this is not a plant to reason your way out of a vet visit over.
Related emergencies
Sources
This page is information, not veterinary advice. Toxic doses vary with body weight, age, breed and individual sensitivity, and the figures above exist to explain what a vet is assessing, never to decide that an amount is safe. If you are reading this because something has already been eaten, call a vet.