Is Taro safe for cats and dogs?
| Species | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Cats | Toxic |
| Dogs | Toxic |
Severity: Moderate
Read the full first-aid guide: what to do if your pet ate something toxic
In the United States, taro's clearest identity is in Hawaii, where it is known as kalo and has been central to the local diet and culture for centuries. The University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) describes kalo as a major staple food across the Pacific, historically grown on tens of thousands of acres across the islands, and prized enough that certain varieties were once reserved for chiefs to eat. The Hawaiian word for family, 'ohana, even traces back to 'oha, the young shoots that sprout from a kalo corm.
Kalo's place in Hawaiian kitchens comes with a strict rule: it has to be cooked first. CTAHR explains that kalo tissue is considered poisonous raw because it contains an acrid component, and that thorough steaming or boiling eliminates this before the plant can be eaten. An older University of Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station study traced the irritation to needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals in the raw corm, describing the resulting mouth and throat pain as "taro itch" and confirming under the microscope that cooking removes the source of that irritation.
For a cat or dog, there is no cooking step to make taro safe. A raw corm, leaf, or houseplant cutting delivers the same insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that irritate a human mouth, and in a pet they cause oral burning, heavy drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Call ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888-426-4435) or Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) if a pet chews on taro and shows any of these signs.
Facts and examples
- Taro (kalo) is "a major staple in the diets of people around the Pacific and is the world's fourteenth most-consumed vegetable," per CTAHR's "Hawaiian Kalo, Past and Future" bulletin, which also describes its cultural role - certain varieties were reserved for ali'i (chiefs), and the word 'ohana derives from 'oha, the shoots that sprout from a kalo corm. (source, verified 2026-08-01)
- CTAHR states: "Kalo, like other plants in its family, is considered poisonous because its tissues contain an acrid component; thorough steaming or boiling eliminates this and allows it to be eaten." (source, verified 2026-08-01)
- A University of Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station bulletin documents needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals (raphides) in raw taro corms, noting "throat irritation caused by uncooked taro necessitates thorough cooking of the corms before they can be used in various food products," and confirms the crystals chemically as calcium oxalate. (source, verified 2026-08-01)
Verdict re-verified against aspca.org, 2026-08-01 — confirmed unchanged. Source
This page is for general information only and is not veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If your pet is showing symptoms, or you think they ate or touched something dangerous, contact your veterinarian or a pet poison-control hotline immediately.
Last verified 2026-08-01