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Toxic to dogs. The ASPCA lists chinese evergreen as toxic to dogs. Chinese evergreen is painful rather than organ damaging, and most dogs stop after a bite. Swelling that affects swallowing or breathing is the sign that turns a call for advice into a clinic visit.
Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema, is the low light survivor of offices, hallways and bathrooms, sold in dozens of silver, pink and red patterned cultivars. The ASPCA lists Aglaonema modestum as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Its toughness is the trap: a plant that thrives on neglect gets placed on the floor and forgotten, at exactly a dog's level, for years.
The ASPCA names the toxic principle of chinese evergreen as Insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chinese evergreen is another aroid, and its leaves and stems hold insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting the leaf fires the needle shaped crystals into the soft tissue of the mouth, tongue and throat, producing pain and swelling at the contact site. Nothing in this plant needs to reach the stomach to hurt, which is why signs begin the moment the chewing does.
The clinical signs the ASPCA lists for chinese evergreen are: oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. The exposure pattern is slow and domestic. A dog brushes past the pot, mouths a leaf while the household is out, and comes to greet its owner drooling and shaking its head. Because aglaonema is often the plant in the spare room or the rental hallway, owners may not connect the signs to a plant they barely remember owning. Cultivar names multiply the confusion: Silver Bay, Siam Aurora and dozens more are all aglaonemas with the same crystals, whatever the label says.
Most dangerous part: The leaves, which form a low, dense rosette at the top of the pot. On a floor pot, the whole plant sits at the height of a resting dog's head.
Low light placement deserves a specific warning. Chinese evergreens are the default plant for windowless bathrooms and dim corners, which are also the rooms where dogs drink from bowls, wait outside showers and chew out of boredom. A plant chosen because the room is dark still needs the reach test: if a dog's nose can touch it, the crystals can reach the dog.
Call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 right away, even if your dog looks fine. Some poisons take hours or days to show their worst effects. Do not make your dog vomit unless a veterinarian tells you to, and keep the packaging, a photo, or a sample of what was eaten to show the clinic.
Put Chinese evergreen on stands or shelves, never directly on the floor in a dog's rooms, and check the plant after any house move, when pots often sit at floor level for days. Pick up shed leaves promptly. If a dog has chewed it, offer a small drink of water and call your veterinarian or a poison line for advice.
For patterned foliage in low light, the ASPCA lists cast iron plant and several calathea types among plants to verify as non-toxic at purchase. Confirm by scientific name, Aglaonema is the genus to avoid for a chewing dog. Whatever you plant next, check it on the toxic plants index approach: confirm the plant on the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic list under its scientific name, Aglaonema modestum is the name to avoid here, before it goes in the ground or on the shelf.
Yes. The ASPCA lists chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) as toxic to dogs. Its toxic principle is Insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, and the signs it lists include oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing.
Call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. Note what part of the plant was eaten and roughly how much, keep any remaining plant material to show the clinic, and do not make your dog vomit unless a veterinarian tells you to.
The leaves, which form a low, dense rosette at the top of the pot. On a floor pot, the whole plant sits at the height of a resting dog's head.
Put Chinese evergreen on stands or shelves, never directly on the floor in a dog's rooms, and check the plant after any house move, when pots often sit at floor level for days. Pick up shed leaves promptly. If a dog has chewed it, offer a small drink of water and call your veterinarian or a poison line for advice.
Yes, treat the genus as one listing. The ASPCA entry covers Aglaonema modestum, and the many named cultivars sold as Chinese evergreen share the same calcium oxalate crystal defense.
Crystal signs are immediate, so a dog that is eating, drinking and swallowing normally a day later has very likely come through the mild end. Mention it at your next vet visit, and move the plant out of reach today.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog has eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines.
Last updated: November 2026. Every verdict on this page was checked against the sources listed above. How we work: our methodology.
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