toxic plant eaten by rabbit

Question
Hi Dr Krempels,

My rabbit ingested a little bit (about 1 inch of the leaf) of the ornamental plant, Dracaena tricolor. I read in the internet it's a toxic plant. How toxic is it? Is there first aid? Pls help! Thanks

Answer
Dear Jean,

Dracaena is somewhat toxic to cats, and possibly to dogs, but from what I know about this plant, it should not cause major problems for a rabbit.  Rabbits, being herbivores, are able to detoxify many plant alkaloids that are harmful to carnivores and other species.

If you are concerned, then as a precaution you could get some activated charcoal from a local pharmacy (it comes in capsules; suspend the contents of one capsule in clean drinking water and *very carefully*, squirting sideways to avoid causing aspiration, administer this) to absorb nasty substances.

For now, keep a close eye on bunny.  Signs of distress would include hunching in a little, uncomfortable ball, eyes squinting, and loudly crunching his teeth.  To know if your bunny is sick, please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

And if you are afraid that he's showing signs of distress, you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I've had rabbits eat bits of Dracaena and show no ill effects, so if your bunny ate just a little, he'll probably be fine.  But be sure to keep all questionable house plants up and out of bunny's reach in the future (I probably don't even need to tell you that!).

Hope this helps!

Dana