Is Dieffenbachia toxic to humans and pets?

There are some plants that are considered poisonous and therefore dangerous to humans and animals. This also includes a very decorative houseplant, the Dieffenbachia. Just touching it can cause symptoms of poisoning and the leaking water is also poisonous, which can be fatal for pets such as cats or dogs. If you want to cultivate the houseplant in your home despite everything, you should do a few here Observe precautionary measures, especially if there are small children or cats and dogs in the household stop.

Characteristics of Dieffenbachia

The decorative houseplant is available in many types. But all of them are characterized above all by their leaves decorated with patterns in yellow or white. It can reach a size of up to 1.50 meters. Some species have very large leaves, while others have long, narrow leaves. All parts of the houseplant are poisonous. The petiole, leaves and the shoot axis contain the poison, which can be dangerous for humans and animals. The outflowing irrigation water in particular also contains the poison and therefore particular care should be taken here, for example if the saucer is to be poured off. But not only the mouth is unhealthy, touching the plant can also have a bad effect. Because when you touch it, the following happens:

• the plant opens shooting cells when touched
• from this toxins and needles are shot out
• these can hit and injure the skin or eyes

Containing Poisons

Various toxins are in the Dieffenbachia and it is precisely this mix that makes the plant so dangerous for humans and pets. So it contains the following poisons:

• Oxalic acid and calcium oxalate crystals damage the kidneys and mucous membranes
• alkaloids
• triglochinine
• saponin

protect children

Especially children who touch everything are more at risk from the toxicity of the Dieffenbachia than is the case with adults. It is therefore important that children are not allowed to come into contact with the plant. Therefore, if you have small children, you should possibly refrain from cultivating the Dieffenbachia. If the plant should still find a place in your own home, you should act as follows:

• only set up in a room that is locked and where children cannot get into
• put it on a shelf as high as possible or hang it under the ceiling as a traffic light
• Windowsill is not a well-chosen location, since some children's hands can reach here
• always take good care that children living in the household are not tempted to touch the plant

protect pets

Pets are similar to children, they are usually even more at risk. Because dog or cat cannot be forbidden to touch the plant. In addition, the animals like to drink the spilled irrigation water from all plants, which would be bad for them in this case. Therefore, if there are pets in the household, the following should be observed:

• If possible, do without the Dieffenbachia if there are animals in the household
• otherwise the plant can be placed high or placed with dogs, guinea pigs or rabbits
• Cats, which can also climb, should therefore never be in the same room as the plant
• birds such as budgerigars or other species that are given the opportunity to fly freely in space should not be given Dieffenbachia as an approach target

Symptoms of poisoning in humans and animals

There are two different types of poisoning symptoms. This depends on whether the poisoning comes from touch or whether individual parts of the plant have been put in the mouth and possibly swallowed.
Symptoms of contact poisoning include:

• Skin or eye irritation as the plant shoots the poison
• The eye can become inflamed or the conjunctiva is burned by the shot poison
• recognizable by cramped eyelids or profuse tearing
• large water blisters or pustules form on the skin

Ingested through the mouth leads to:

• Swelling, redness or burning in the area of ​​the mucous membranes and tongue
• Speaking and swallowing are difficult for those affected
• diarrhea and nausea and vomiting
• drowsiness
• paralysis
• cardiac arrhythmias

First measures

If one or more symptoms appear, immediate action must be taken. If the person or animal in question has come into contact with the plant, in mild cases the affected areas can be washed off or washed out with water. In severe cases, call 112 or your local animal emergency number. Nobody should be afraid here, because this precautionary measure should not be dispensed with. If part of the plant was also taken by mouth and even swallowed, the first steps should be taken:

• Remove plant residues that are still in the mouth immediately
• rinse your mouth if necessary so that everything is completely removed
• only then, when there are no more parts of the plant in the mouth, offer liquid to absorb
• in any case do without milk, because this can promote the absorption of the poison
• medicinal charcoal powder can also be administered, which binds the toxins in the stomach
• then the emergency call for humans or for animals should be dialed immediately
• precisely because of their body size and weight, the animals are more at risk of dying from the poison of the Dieffenbachia

Conclusion

The Dieffenbachia is a very decorative houseplant for all singles or couples who live without children or pets. If there are small children or animals in the household, then you should consider buying beautiful, evergreen ones plant with the large, patterned leaves, no matter how difficult it may be. However, if you do not want this, you should take some precautionary measures so that children or pets cannot reach the plant. Because just touching it can have a big impact. Even the adult owners of the plant itself need to be extremely careful with the graceful beauty so as not to get poisoned themselves.

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