Poinsettias -

[Pepper]

Help! My gray squirrel Mia got hold of a dried poinsettia leaf and ate some. I am so worried. Are they poisonous? She also had a few of the buds inside.:eek

[SammysMom]

Remove any of that plant that she can get to! They are dangerous, but I am not sure about the specifics. I believe that pushing fluids is always a good thing with any of these toxins.

[Pepper]

My plants are all outside and she happen to come across one that had blown in. I am devastated. Does the poison act fast or does it take a while? When should I notice symptoms. Anyone who can help, please do. It is too close to Christmas to lose my girl!:sad

[stepnstone]

Poinsettias are poisonous, push fluids and keep a
close watch for any adverse reactions.
Hopefully she didn't digest enough to hurt her.
....Scrap the plant!

[SammysMom]

How is she acting? Does she seem to be having any reaction to the plant?

[farrelli]

If this has happened within the last two or three hours, you might consider going to the drug store and getting some activated charcoal to absorb the toxins still in her digestive tract.

[Duckman]

If this has happened within the last two or three hours, you might consider going to the drug store and getting some activated charcoal to absorb the toxins still in her digestive tract.

Best thing you can do is what Farrelli said. Then push all the fluids she will drink. Keep an eye on her tonight. The poison will show signs of paralysis or uncontrolled vomiting and excessive drooling, if she has a reaction. Part of one leaf should not cause harm though, so if you can get the charcoal that would be insurance.

[Pepper]

Well, I just checked on her and it has been over 8 hours since she ate it and she seems fine. Not to happy that I woke her up to make sure she was ok but seems like her feisty self. Gave her a favorite treat and she jumped on it. Hopefully she is past the immediate danger. :squirrel1

[stepnstone]

A little research, a little enlightenment...

"The idea that poinsettias are poisonous most likely dates to the early 20th century, when the death of a two-year-old child was attributed to eating a poinsettia leaf. Since then, public health authorities have struggled to right the record: poinsettias are NOT poisonous and they pose no danger to pets or children.
The poinsettia belongs to the Euphorbia genus. While there are some very toxic Euphorbias, poinsettias are not among them. According to POISINDEX—the service used by every poison control center in the United States—a 50 lb. child would have to eat more than 500 poinsettia leaves to even begin approaching toxic levels."

The use of activated charcoal to absorb toxins is only good if it's
administered within the first hour so it's always a good thing to
have on hand for a just in case...

Glad your little one is/was in no danger. :grin

[island rehabber]

I'm trying to remember whose it was, but we lost a beautiful fox squirrel here to a pointsettia and it was definitely the pointsettia that did it. I never have them in the house, just in case.

[stepnstone]

I'm trying to remember whose it was, but we lost a beautiful fox squirrel here to a pointsettia and it was definitely the pointsettia that did it. I never have them in the house, just in case.

I swear I've always heard pointsettias were poisonous, especially with animals.
Even before squirrels, I'd never allow them around due to my cats.
Obviously there is some toxicity with them by the 50lb child remark and what it
would take to approach toxic levels. Stands to reason they still should be considered
poisonous especially with small animals.
What I have further read states they may make a pet sick but are not deadly to them,
most examples are related to dogs.
Of course something as small as a squirrel is never taken in consideration.
With that in mind and IR's account, we should consider them poisonous.

That being said, mistletoe, lilies, and holly are listed as being incredibly dangerous.

[Charley Chuckles]

I consider most plants to be poisonous, even ivy of any kind, the weird thing though, the other day a friend with a squirrel said hers got into her poinsettia and tore it all up :eek I said OMG they are poisonous, she said that is an old wives tale, and her squirrel is fine :thumbsup So yes I still say bad and poisonous, but if hers chewed up the entire plant and had no effects, then your baby should be fine...still follow the advice here:thumbsup
I never have any indoor plants/even flowers I put away from all my pets :tilt

[TubeDriver]

Different critters may have a different response to a toxin. What might be deadly to one animal might make another species of animal mildly sick or maybe not even effect it at all. I would just assume that Poinsettias are toxic to squirrels just based on the anecdotal evidence that IR provided. Better safe than sorry.




I swear I've always heard pointsettias were poisonous, especially with animals.
Even before squirrels, I'd never allow them around due to my cats.
Obviously there is some toxicity with them by the 50lb child remark and what it
would take to approach toxic levels. Stands to reason they still should be considered
poisonous especially with small animals.
What I have further read states they may make a pet sick but are not deadly to them,
most examples are related to dogs.
Of course something as small as a squirrel is never taken in consideration.
With that in mind and IR's account, we should consider them poisonous.

That being said, mistletoe, lilies, and holly are listed as being incredibly dangerous.

[stepnstone]

I consider most plants to be poisonous, even ivy of any kind, the weird thing though, the other day a friend with a squirrel said hers got into her poinsettia and tore it all up :eek I said OMG they are poisonous, she said that is an old wives tale, and her squirrel is fine :thumbsup So yes I still say bad and poisonous, but if hers chewed up the entire plant and had no effects, then your baby should be fine...still follow the advice here:thumbsup
I never have any indoor plants/even flowers I put away from all my pets :tilt

From what I have read it is the milky substance in the stems of the poinsettia
that is the concerning factor.

[Duckman]

From what I have read it is the milky substance in the stems of the poinsettia
that is the concerning factor.

This is also what I have read and studied in Biology (years ago). The stems have a concentration of the fluid, which is toxic, while the leaves have a small amount (in the tiny veins of the leaf. Consider it the blood of the plant, if you will). The amount of toxicity correlates to the amount of the fluid ingested. That was why I stated I wasn't overly concerned about the squirrel eating part of the leaf. :thumbsup

[LeilaNami]

To be fair, many poison resources are not very accurate when they attempt to dumb down the information. Heck, I just that the Florida Poison Control Center for Tampa lists Florida scorpions as nonvenomous and call other scorpions poisonous.

For those that don't know, ALL scorpions are venomous. Poisonous is also not the same as venomous. What they probably meant was no scorpion found in Florida is life-threateningly venomous (except some imported varieties of species that are more toxic than their native counterparts), but it's misleading since people can still have adverse reactions to the venom in Florida's native scorpions. I highly suspect that is the same thing that has happened with poinsettias. Some part of the plant is mildly toxic (to humans and animals) so they list the entire thing as poisonous.

[stepnstone]

Poisonous is also not the same as venomous.

Although I think I know what your trying to say,
I'm still going to have a little fun with you here and say...
Really?? :confused: :thinking

Merriam-Webster

Definition of POISONOUS
1 : destructive, harmful
2 : having the properties or effects of poison : venomous

**********
Definition of VENOMOUS
1 : full of venom: as
a: poisonous, envenomed
b: noxious, pernicious

[LeilaNami]

Although I think I know what your trying to say,
I'm still going to have a little fun with you here and say...
Really?? :confused: :thinking

Merriam-Webster

Definition of POISONOUS
1 : destructive, harmful
2 : having the properties or effects of poison : venomous

**********
Definition of VENOMOUS
1 : full of venom: as
a: poisonous, envenomed
b: noxious, pernicious

In general, in terms of poisonous vs. venomous organisms, the difference is a poisonous organism is toxic if ingested whereas it is venomous if it is injecting. Some are one or the other and some are both. Again, that's generalized but most of the time accurate. Scorpions are venomous, not poisonous, and I hear they taste like shrimp.

Dictionaries don't always use the terms in context of biology :poke :grin3

[Pepper]

Hi Everyone - She is fine! She actually ate the buds on the flowers so I thought the worse. Then in the typical squirrel behavior when she picked up the dried leaf she made a dash across the room and the chase began. I finally made her drop it but I was still frightened about what she did.

Thank you everyone for your advice! :thankyou

[SugarBugFerret]

Just to be a PITA I am going to throw this in.

The terms poison and venom are often used interchangeably, but they actually have very different meanings. It is the delivery method that distinguishes one from the other.
Poison is absorbed or ingested; a poisonous animal can only deliver toxic chemicals if another animal touches or eats it.
Venom, on the other hand, is always injected. Every venomous animal has a mechanism to inject toxins directly into another animal. Stab with tails. Slash with spines. Pierce with fangs. Spike with spurs. Shoot with harpoons. Chew with teeth.
For example, frogs are usually poisonous while snakes are usually venomous.

This topic has always interested me, so do with it what you will. Either one can spell "danger".

So lilies huh? What kind? Like the lilies that would come in a flower bouquet? (I finally asked to not be given those anymore because they stink and leave their yellow pollen everywhere!) Or an Easter lily? Or any kind of lily?

I have always had a poinsettia for Christmas, but I also said no to that this year as well. Skiddil doesn't run around in the house, but I wasn't taking any chances! I am so glad we don't have a medical emergency here. Whew! :thumbsup

[SugarBugFerret]

LeilaNami beat me to it! :crazy

So glad Mia is feeling ok!

[LeilaNami]

All lillies in the genus Lilium apparently and some others.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ccah/health_information/plants_pets.cfm


I'm quick! haha!

Also glad there was no issue!

[stepnstone]

Just to be a PITA I am going to throw this in.

Well, if your going to get all serious...
I'm going to send you a poisonous lilly
in a batch of non-poisonous ones and
let you figure it out.... :rotfl

edit: Dang! You type faster then me...