My bunn just ate a poinsettia leaf...

[adamjai]

I have a couple poinsettias in the living room and this morning while Simon was running around I heard munching...I guess one of the plants dropped a leaf and he found it. Should I be concerned? Is there anything I can give him? I'm thinking one leaf shouldn't hurt him, but just in case I wanted to know if any of you have any thoughts. Thanks!

 

[NorthernAutumn]

[align=left]While pointsettia toxicity results are low, they can still cause stomach upset. I would personally remove the plants immediately from his area

http://www.rabbit.org/health/poinsettia.html
[/align]

 

[NorthernAutumn]

There is a more conservative sense that pointsettias are toxic in many of the library articles...
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27897&forum_id=10

Personally, I would treat it as toxic. Will look and see if I can find if any treatment is needed.

ETA: haven't found something yet... as it can potentially induce nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in humans (if consumed in large amounts), I would keep a close eye on your guy to be sure that he's OK, and doesn't become lethargic. Post back if his condition changes, and I'm sure someone will be able to help relieve any stomach upset.

Sorry for the lack of definite answers

 

[kherrmann3]

I have always heard that they are only toxic in large(r) amounts. My bun took a nibble out of one last year. He was fine. I just switched to fake poinsettias this year!

 

[Maureen Las]

Do you have an account with etherbun..I recently read a post by Rami stating that the incidence of poisoning and damage from poinsettasfar less than people believe.
I will see if I may still have the post.

 

[Maureen Las]

Well I have searched and cannot find the etherbun post but George Flentke'and Susan smith's word is good enough for me.
Poinsetta causes irritation to the mouth so you would see your bun possibly salivating , possibly shaking his head
I really doubt that one leaf will cause problem but if you are concerned I would give your vet a call and run it by him and / or call poison control.

My parrot ate a piece of philodendrom and I called poison control at midnight and had to pay a hefty fee, however the info told to me over the phone (that he would be fine) helped me sleep that night.

http://www.petcaretips.net/pet-rabbit-poisoning.html

 

[adamjai]

Thank you so much for your replies! I spoke with a very knowledgeable bunny person about this and she said that poinsettias are known to have a numbing effect but that a small amount shouldn't hurt. He munched it on Saturday morning and as of today he's still acting just fine, no lethargy or appetite problems. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[degrassi]

"According to the POISINDEX information source - the primary resource used by the majority of poison control centers nationwide - a child who weighed 50 lbs. would have to eat over 500 poinsettia leaves to reach an even potentially toxic dose of compounds in the poinsettia plant. Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburg Poison Center conducted a review of 22,793 reported cases of poinsettia exposures, the majority (93%) of which occurred in children, and found that 92% of those exposed did not develop any symptoms at all. Ninety-six per cent of those exposed were not even treated in a health care facility. Furthermore, no deaths resulting from poinsettia ingestion have ever been documented."

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55606

"The ASPCA Animal Poison Center in Urbana, Illinois says it regards poinsettias as having such low toxicity risk that it doesn't even recommend decontaminating animals that may have ingested them. The center says that there can sometimes be gastrointestinal distress from having ingested something alien to the digestive system.

The American Veterinary Medicine Association of America (AVMA), doesn't include poinsettias on its list of plants that are a threat to animals."

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/poinsettias.htm