# EMERGENCY!  EMERGENCY, PLEASE HELP.  Dumb Cane!



## thailand (Feb 4, 2016)

5 minutes ago my very pregnant goat got into some dumb cane.  She ate 2 bites of a leaf.  She immediately did some weird things with her mouth.  Currently she seems ago.....but.....is there anything I should be looking out for/that I can do!???

How serious will this be?

Panicking here in Thailand right now


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## thailand (Feb 5, 2016)

Its now 33 mins later and she appears to be ok.  She lay down on the grass for a minute or so, but is now happily munching away on browse.  Shes chewed her cud since the incident and I was hoping to be able to pull that out.  But alas, she was having none of that!

Guess I'll just keep an eye on her today.

I'll also keep checking here in case anyone has advice for me.  Thanks


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## norseofcourse (Feb 5, 2016)

I'm glad she seems to be ok!  I don't know anything about dumb cane, but a quick check of wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia
suggests the symptoms are temporary, and it sounds like she didn't eat a large amount.

"The common name, "dumb canes" refers to the poisoning effect of raphides, which can cause temporary inability to speak; for this reason it is also known as the mother-in-law plant."
"The cells of the _Dieffenbachia_ plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called raphides. If a leaf is chewed, these crystals can cause a temporary burning sensation and erythema. In rare cases, edema of tissues exposed to the plant has been reported. Mastication and ingestion generally result in only mild symptoms.[9] With both children and pets, contact with dieffenbachia (typically from chewing) can cause a host of unpleasant symptoms, including intense numbing, oral irritation, excessive drooling, and localized swelling.[10] However, these effects are rarely life-threatening."

  They sure know how to worry us, don't they!


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## babsbag (Feb 5, 2016)

Hope she is ok. Dumb Cane is usually grown as a house plant in our climate so not many goats have access to them. I know that it can burn the mouth, cause a lot of saliva, and also burn your hands if you get the sap on them. I don't grow them anymore as I have cats that live indoors and sometimes that will eat my houseplants.

I bet your goat will be fine and probably won't touch that one again.


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## thailand (Feb 5, 2016)

Thanks so much for your replies....there's nothing as comforting and soothing as friends on the other side of the world in times of distress!  She does seem to be fine.  I'll keep checking on her throughout the day though.


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## thailand (Feb 5, 2016)

It's now just after 6:30pm and Khaleesi is fine.  Yaay!    That was a bit of a scare.  I'm going to start a kidding thread and from now on just post there for a while.  Thanks for your help


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