Is Rhubarb toxic to dogs?

Soluble oxalate salts are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and bind with the body's calcium, causing a sudden drop in calcium levels and potential acute renal failure.

None of the sources we checked describes a treatment written for rhubarb in dogs. For plants with soluble oxalates, the Merck Veterinary Manual describes this care when a pet ate more than a taste or nibble: the vet makes it vomit and gives one dose of activated charcoal with a laxative, then fluids through an IV line for 24 to 48 hours. If blood calcium drops, the vet gives calcium gluconate through the IV. Kidney values are monitored during a hospital stay, and checked if signs develop.

None of the sources we checked gives recovery times or survival figures for dogs that ate rhubarb. Merck says exposure to plants with soluble oxalates is not common in pets, but life-threatening signs may occur. It says low blood calcium is not expected after small ingestions and is seen more readily in livestock grazing large amounts of these plants, and that kidney damage is a concern. A Pet Poison Helpline vet notes that dogs and cats are rarely interested in rhubarb because the leaves taste bitter.

• Vegetable gardens. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), also called garden rhubarb or pie plant, is a perennial grown for its edible stalks. NC State Extension lists it for vegetable gardens and as an ornamental plant.
• Look for very large leaves, heart-shaped or triangular, on long, thick, reddish stalks, and sometimes small flowers in a dense, elongated cluster.
• Kitchens, when the leaves are cut off fresh stalks before cooking. Pet Poison Helpline says the leaves hold dangerous concentrations of soluble oxalates, and NC State Extension lists the leaves and roots as the most toxic parts.
• Compost bins and heaps. NDSU Extension says rhubarb leaves can be composted like other yard waste.
• Rhubarb pies, jams and purées, which are made from the stalks. Pet Poison Helpline says the stalks contain very little soluble oxalate.
• The main toxins are soluble oxalates (oxalic acid and its salts). NC State Extension and Massey University also list anthraquinone glycosides in the leaves, but none of the sources we checked says what these do in dogs or cats.

• Keep your pet away from the leaves in the vegetable garden, for example by fencing off the rhubarb bed. Pet Poison Helpline says the leaves hold dangerous concentrations of soluble oxalates, and NC State Extension also lists the roots among the most toxic parts.
• When you harvest or prepare rhubarb, put the leaves straight into a bin or compost bin your pet can't get into. Don't leave trimmings on the counter, the floor or the garden path.
• If you compost the leaves, keep your pet out of the compost bin or heap. NDSU Extension says the oxalic acid breaks down as the leaves decompose, but still advises keeping children and pets out of compost bins, for many reasons.
• Don't count on the bitter taste. A Pet Poison Helpline vet says dogs and cats are rarely interested in rhubarb because the leaves taste bitter, but Merck says life-threatening signs may occur after exposure to plants with soluble oxalates.