Peace lilies are popular houseplants but might be toxic to humans and other animals. Peace lily produces a toxin that can be poisonous to pets, children, and even adults if consumed.
All parts of a peace lily are toxic, such as stems, leaves, and even the blooms. The poisonous compound found in peace lilies is oxalate crystals known as raphides. These compounds are insoluble and result in an inflammatory reaction that can be mild to severe when ingested by pets and children.
This article will discuss how toxic the peace lilies can be and if you should keep them in contact with your pets or kids.
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Are peace lilies dangerous to small kids?
Small kids are playful, and they try to put anything in their mouths while playing. Consuming the peace lilies can be harmful to kids. The irritating crystals can cause skin and mouth irritation, vomiting, and nausea.
It would be best to keep your kids away from the peace lily to prevent further problems. If your kid has consumed any part of the peace lily, visit the nearest doctor to resolve this issue.
Is peace lily pet-friendly?
Peace lilies are not pet-friendly at all. You should keep these plants away from all kinds of pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, small animals like guinea pigs, and even birds.
The toxicity level depends on the amount of peace lily your pets have consumed. It contains some substances that can be harmful to your pets. If the pollen grains stick to your pet’s fur and paws, it can cause oral irritation.
Due to oral irritation, your pets will have difficulty swallowing the food. Don’t let your pets play with peace lilies because, by any chance, if they will ingest this plant, your pets can suffer from various health issues.
How toxic are peace lily?
Peace lilies are toxic to both humans and pets. If this plant is ingested by any chance, the sap or the juice of the peace lilies may obstruct the blood calcium level, making the blood toxic.
Its reaction to adults is mild, but not on pets, and small children can cause severe health issues. This plant’s sap contains a high level of oxalates. If peace lilies are consumed by any chance, these oxalate crystals will absorb calcium quickly from the bloodstream.
As a result, calcium drains out from blood rapidly, forming a new substance called calcium oxalate crystals. Because of these toxic reactions inside the body of both humans and pets, it disrupts cell membrane functions and creates health problems.
Signs of peace lily poisoning in pets
If your pets ingest the peace lilies, it can irritate the mouth, and they will have problems swallowing any food.
There are some symptoms given below with which you can figure out whether your pets have consumed peace lilies or not.
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Excessive drooling
- Breathing troubles
- Stomach ache
- Loss of appetite
- Excessive salivation
If you notice any above-listed symptoms, you must immediately contact the nearest animal clinic.
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Which pets are vulnerable to peace lily poisoning?
All kinds of pets are vulnerable to peace lily poisoning, including dogs, cats, rabbits, small animals like guinea pigs, and birds.
The most vulnerable pets to peace lily poisoning are dogs and cats.
You should keep your peace lily away from all kinds of pets as they can get severely affected.
The toxic compound present in this plant makes your pet ill and creates a significant impact on your pet’s health.
Pets don’t know what is healthy and what is harmful to them. Whenever they see new plants in the house, they play, sniff and mess with them. The owner must keep an eye on their pets.
Is peace lily toxic to cats?
The peace lily is considered very toxic to cats. The cells of peace lily contain calcium oxalate crystals. These crystals are present in all the parts of plants, such as in stems and leaves.
If a cat chews or bites the leaves or stems, the crystals present in the plant are released and cause injury by suffocating the animal’s tissues.
Due to such reactions inside the mouth, the damage can be painful to the cat’s mouth, even if the peace lilies are not ingested entirely by them.
The toxicity of this plant depends upon the quantity your cats have consumed.
Signs of peace lily poisoning in cats
If your cat consumes peace lily, it may cause show certain symptoms, for example:
- Severe burning and oral irritation
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Excessive drooling
- Increased salivation
- Diarrhea
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Oral irritation
- Cardiac abnormalities
If you notice such behavior and symptoms in your cat, you must immediately take it to the nearest animal clinic.
How to keep peace lily away from cats?
Keeping the peace lily away from your cat is the only way to prevent any unnecessary incidents.
- Spray or drop cat repellents near your peace lilies, and the cat would not go there.
- Sprinkle the lemon or orange juice on the peace lily. Cats dislike the strong smell and will run away immediately whenever they smell it.
- Place aluminum foil around your peace lily plant. Cats hate the taste and sound of aluminum foil, and they also hate to feel and walk on it.
- You can use tea leaves by dropping them around your plant to keep your cats away.
- You can also isolate your plant in a room where you can close the door to prevent cats from nibbling on your peace lilies.
Is peace lily toxic to dogs?
The peace lily is considered toxic for dogs. Like cats, dogs can also face intense pain and oral irritation if the stems or leaves of peace lilies are chewed or consumed.
Due to calcium oxalate crystals, tissues of the mouth and throat results in severe pain and can make your dog sick.
If your dog consumes a significant portion of the peace lily, it can suffer from serious health problems. You should immediately consult a nearby doctor to resolve this problem.
Signs of peace lily poisoning in dogs
If your dog consumes peace lilies, it can lead to many symptoms. Some of the symptoms have been given below:
- Diarrhea
- Dilated eyes
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Drooling
- Loss of appetite
- Swelling of the mouth and lips
- Vomiting
- Trouble in breathing
- Pawing
If your dogs show any of the symptoms, contact your nearest animal clinic as soon as possible.
How to keep peace lily away from dogs?
- Keep your peace lily in a place where your dog will not be able to reach.
- You can spray your peace lily with white vinegar or apple bitter to keep dogs away.
- Sprinkle red pepper flakes or powdered mustard around your peace lilies. Pepper will irritate your dog’s nose, and they will not roam around the plant.
- Use repellent sprays to keep your dog away from the plants, and they are safe.
Is peace lily toxic to rabbits?
Peace lilies are also toxic to rabbits and should be kept away.
All the parts of the peace lilies can be toxic for your rabbits, so you should keep your plant away from rabbits. Rabbits like to eat all kinds of green leaves of the plants and are unaware of their toxicity.
Peace lilies can make your rabbits ill immediately if ingested mistakenly. You should always watch your rabbits and restrict them from consuming or touching the peace lily plant.
Signs of peace lily poisoning in rabbits
Peace lilies can cause these problems in your rabbits.
- Oral irritation
- Difficulty swallowing
- Drooling
- Irritation on mouth and tongue.
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Abnormal behavior
- Unusual postures
- Diarrhea
How to keep rabbits away from peace lilies?
Rabbits are delicate animals, and keeping them away from the peace lily plant is the best thing you can do.
- Keep your peace lily at high positions so that your rabbits will not be able to reach it.
- Try sprinkling dried sulfur around your peace lily. This will keep the rabbits away.
- You can also put onions around your plants. Rabbits dislike the smell of onions.
- Try dusting your peace lily with plain talcum powder.
- Spray your peace lily with a mix of 1 teaspoon Lysol and 1 gallon of water.
Is peace lily toxic to birds?
Peace lily can be extremely harmful to birds due to their toxic sap.
Birds are sensitive, and if they accidentally chew the stems or leaves of the peace lilies, they can suffer from severe pain in the stomach, making them very ill.
Signs of peace lily poisoning in birds
- Stomach ache
- Redness around the eyes, beak, and mouth
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
How to keep your birds away from peace lilies?
- Keep your peace lily in an area where your birds will not reach, like a closed room.
- Cover your peace lily with a mesh to keep your bird away from the plant.
- Aluminum screening around the plant will help you keep the birds away.
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Is peace lily poisonous to other small animals?
If there are guinea pigs in your home, avoid placing the peace lily plant near it because it can be deadly.
Guinea pigs are sensitive animals, and if they reach the peace lilies, they can fall extremely sick. If your guinea pigs are behaving abnormally, you should immediately contact the vet to save them.
Hamsters are also not safe around peace lilies. The plant toxicity can make them sick immediately.
What to do if your pets ate a peace lily?
It should be the owner’s responsibility to take care of the need and check their pets’ eating habits. Pets don’t know which food is good for them and which can harm them. They accidentally eat things that were not supposed to be eaten.
If you notice your pet has consumed the peace lily, you can immediately treat them by washing their mouth with clean water to remove as many irritating crystals of peace lilies as possible.
For irritation and burning pain in your pet’s mouth, offer them some cold items to put in their mouths, such as ice cubes and cold milk to reduce the mouth pain.
Visit the nearest veterinarian’s office for further treatment. If the condition is severe, your veterinarian will ask you to take your pet to the hospital for treatment.
After the treatment, provide them with Gastroprotective medication to prevent damage to the stomach.
Final words
Peace lily produces a toxin that can be poisonous to pets, children, and even adults if consumed. Don’t let your pets play with peace lilies because if they ingest this plant, your pets can undergo serious health problems.
If you notice that your pets are behaving strangely, immediately visit the nearest animal clinic.
Ref: ScienceDirect, NCBI, University of Vermont, Nationalgeographic, NC state university, University of Florida, The University of Arkansas, Queensland Government.
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