Is Lucky bamboo safe for dogs and cats?
Ask your vet about your own pet. This page is general information from the sources below.
Pet Poison Helpline reports Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana): listed as toxic to dogs and toxic to cats. Drooling and vomiting; in cats, wide pupils and a wobbly walk have been reported. Lucky bamboo is a Dracaena, not a true bamboo. Pet Poison Helpline lists it toxic without splitting dogs from cats; the ASPCA lists the Dracaena group as toxic to both.
Checked October 29, 2026.
Also called: ribbon plant. Dracaena sanderiana.
What in it is the problem
Saponins.
What it can do
Drooling and vomiting; in cats, wide pupils and a wobbly walk have been reported.
Good to know
Lucky bamboo is a Dracaena, not a true bamboo. Pet Poison Helpline lists it toxic without splitting dogs from cats; the ASPCA lists the Dracaena group as toxic to both.
Did your pet chew it?
Call your vet or a pet poison line, and say what plant, how much and when. If you aren't sure which plant it was, take a photo of it.
Poison emergency? Call now
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435, 24 hours a day, every day. A consultation fee may apply.
Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661, 24/7. $99 per incident, follow-up calls included.
Or call your vet or the nearest emergency vet.
For the children
"Some plants can make pets sick, and lilies are very dangerous for cats. Ask a grown-up before you bring a plant or flowers inside."
A job: Be the plant checker. Help a grown-up look up each plant in the house on this site, and write the ones to keep away on a list.
This page is general information from the sources below, not veterinary advice. Common names are shared by different plants, so check the Latin name.
Sources
- Pet Poison Helpline: Ribbon Plant (checked October 29, 2026)
- ASPCA: Dracaena (checked October 29, 2026)