Is the ZZ plant Poisonous to Humans and Animals? Is it safe?

Unfortunately, as beautiful as the Zamioculcas Zamifolia (ZZ) plant is, if you have little four-legged friends or children running around the house, you may want to consider passing on this one. ZZ plants are toxic to pets and humans when directly ingested, albeit with mild toxicity. Here is everything you need to know about whether you should add these popular houseplants to your collection.

ZZ plants contain a substance known as Calcium Oxalate, which earns itself a position on the list of poisonous plants. It is a substance that is known to produce sores, irritation and numbing when ingested. If any part of the ZZ plant is consumed by a human or pet (like a cat or dog) they will experience mild discomfort and possibly nausea. However, if ingested in large quantities, ZZ plant can be fatal and medical advice should be sought immediately.

Welcome to the Garden Bench Top. In today’s article we are going to explore the toxicity levels of the ZZ plant. We’ll explore the possibilities of keeping these beautiful plants as a houseplant. As well as consider the potential risks with mixing ZZ plants and little ones.

Why are ZZ plants not pet or child-friendly?

As we explained earlier, ZZ plants produce a substance called Calcium Oxalate, which is in the sap that travels along the leaves and stems. The structure of this compound is actually similar to small shards of crystal with sharp edges. When the sap comes in contact with the skin or the lining of the stomach, it irritates it and causes the discomfort we discussed earlier.

Unfortunately, pets and children tend to have a natural curiosity for investigating new objects in their home, particularly indoor plants.

Through their curiosities, they may accidentally (okay, let’s be honest – it is probably intentionally) come into contact with the sap, resulting in a nasty reaction.

Are ZZ plants toxic to dogs?

Like cats, dogs are also known to take enjoyment out of interfering with houseplants. However, for different reasons.

Some dogs like to dig around in the soil of pot plants. This tends to be more common for dogs in apartments, and they don’t have the opportunity to play out in a yard. They emulate their normal outside behavior of digging and playing around outside, inside with the dirt in the pots.

On the other hand, dogs are also known to eat vegetation to soothe an upset stomach. Typically, an ill dog will chew on grass to induce vomiting, so they can eliminate the substance that is making them feel sick.

Unfortunately, they may choose the wrong type of vegetation, like ZZ leaves, causing them to feel even worse than before due to the mild toxicity of the plant.

How to stop dogs from eating ZZ plants?

If you have a dog and a ZZ plant at home, don’t panic. It is relatively easy to keep the toxic plant away from dogs.

Keeping your ZZ plant in an elevated position will help accidental ingestion by your dogs. Dogs tend to interact with items only at their level, so in line with the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ principle, you can avoid the majority of incidents.

In the same vein, you can also keep the plants in areas that the dogs have been trained to keep out of. For example, our dogs understand the upstairs area is out of bounds. Which is exactly where we keep our ZZ plants.

Are ZZ plants toxic to cats?

It is common for a cat to become ill from ZZ plants because they love to nibble on indoor plants. For some reason or another, they also like to treat the soil in the planters as their personal litter tray. Even