# Safe for pets, deadly for humans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2018, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251 "2018-12-17T06:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/21 "2018-12-17T23:46:35Z")
Not only can camels go a long time without drinking water, they too can eat things people can’t. Small wonder this video has had 8 million views. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9NC2saE5MbQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Camels vs. Cactus!!! جمل") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NC2saE5MbQ) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/22 "2018-12-17T23:54:56Z")
Goats can digest a lot of tannin (like acorns, oak leaves). They relish a lot of bitter nasty plants that would make you ill if you managed to choke them down. Like poison oak. Not to mention they eat things like blackberry brambles. Herbivores in general can digest cellulose, we can’t. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/23 "2018-12-18T00:07:48Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Goats can digest a lot of tannin (like acorns, oak leaves). They relish a lot of bitter nasty plants that would make you ill if you managed to choke them down. Like poison oak. Not to mention they eat things like blackberry brambles. Herbivores in general can digest cellulose, we can’t. If a goat ate some poison oak, would their digestive system break down the irritant/allergen, or would their droppings potentially cause an allergic reaction? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/24 "2018-12-18T01:47:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I dunno about that, it seems humans can subsist on a all meat diet. Has anyone ever tried? I’m pretty sure its not healthy. ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/25 "2018-12-18T01:51:39Z")
Some poisonous mushrooms are eaten by variety of animals. Slugs come to mind. But they are not common pets around here. Got nuttin. I’d say human is really adapted in this way. We can tolerate and digest plethora of nasty chemicals otherwise deadly or harmful for most of (higher) animals: capsaicin, alcohol, quinine, blue mold … ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/26 "2018-12-18T01:57:26Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Has anyone ever tried? I’m pretty sure its not healthy. The Eskimo: > **[FYI: What Would Happen If I Ate Nothing But Meat?](https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/fyi-what-would-happen-if-i-ate-nothing-meat/)** > > Good ol' meat and potatoes. Without the potatoes. and others:[The History of All-Meat Diets - Diagnosis Diet](http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/all-meat-diets/) [This Guy's Eaten Nothing but Raw Meat for Five Years](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nnqw3q/this-guy-has-eaten-nothing-but-raw-meat-for-five-years) and here’s a published study:[http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf](http://www.jbc.org/content/87/3/651.full.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/27 "2018-12-18T02:55:45Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > If a goat ate some poison oak, would their digestive system break down the irritant/allergen, or would their droppings potentially cause an allergic reaction? That would be a job for … Science. I’m an artist. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/28 "2018-12-18T03:56:51Z")
Humans and guinea pigs are the only animals that I can find that display the allergic hypersensitivity to urushiol, the irritant in poison oak, poison sumac, and poison ivy. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/29 "2018-12-18T04:25:17Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > If a goat ate some poison oak, would their digestive system break down the irritant/allergen, or would their droppings potentially cause an allergic reaction? > [@Ulfreida](#): > > That would be a job for … Science. > > I’m an artist. Blinded me! ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/30 "2018-12-18T04:28:30Z")
actually in the wild the big jungle cats eat poop of their prey if they fail to catch anything im told the wild dogs do the same thing…… its not anyones favorite thing to eat but they can survive on it ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/31 "2018-12-18T04:52:16Z")
This article lists some animals that eat poison ivy without issues, although it doesn’t say if the urushiol is broken down in the GI tract. I’m guessing that it probably is. > **[Wait, Something Eats Poison Ivy?](http://www.tarawildlife.com/wildlife-value-poison-ivy/)** > > Most of us avoid getting close to poison ivy. But, for wildlife, poison ivy is an important food source - birds, deer, raccoons, & more. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/32 "2018-12-18T10:52:07Z")
I’m pretty sure there are some berries that are toxic to people that birds can eat but I can’t recall them off the top of my head - I’m a bit more concerned with keeping things like avocado away from my birds as it’s deadly to them even if I can eat it. I think pokeberries and quinoa have toxins (saponins) that will at the least make a human ill but in the wild birds eat a lot of them. The quinoa you buy at the store has had the toxin removed, and never had a lot of it to begin with. Poke has a lot more, and processing to remove it is more difficult and time consuming. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/33 "2018-12-18T14:31:04Z")
An all-meat diet works for a human, if you eat it raw. But cooking breaks down a lot of the vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/34 "2018-12-18T15:09:27Z")
We feed our African spurred tortoise **Kjell** some Aloe Vera a few times a week. He loves it. Depending on what you read, Aloe Vera is either toxic to humans or a “Superfood”. Either way, all references agree it tastes nasty. ETA: Guin, he is named after Ulf’s brother Kjell Samuelsson. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/35 "2018-12-18T15:30:18Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m pretty sure there are some berries that are toxic to people that birds can eat but I can’t recall them off the top of my head - I’m a bit more concerned with keeping things like avocado away from my birds as it’s deadly to them even if I can eat it. Toxic may be an exaggeration but birds can eat peppers that humans would be better off ignoring; they simply have no response to capsaicin. It’s time to dust [this](https://littera-abactor.livejournal.com/7748.html) off again. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/36 "2018-12-18T16:33:21Z")
I would assume that at least some birds must be able to eat nightshade and other poisonous berries, or else they (the berries) would not be carrying out their ordained biological function of assisting reproduction. I know that sounds teleological, but there must be some cost to making the berries and the function would gradually disappear if it wasn’t accomplishing anything. Just like flight does on islands with no predators and sight in species that have moved underground (e.g. mole rats). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/37 "2018-12-18T17:38:28Z")
I think semirotten meat and poop is more of a nurture than nature thing. If you regularly chow down your body will get used to it. Report back here with results. Not quite what the OP is looking for in-home pet animals, but white snakeroot is toxic to humans, horses, calves, and sheep. It does not appear to harm chickens, or adult cattle and sheep. I’m not sure in the latter case if it’s just the concentration is too low. Human poisoning was usually caused by consuming affected cow’s milk (killed Lincoln’s mother). More careful game management has limited the risk substantially. Edit: it can harm adult cows. > [@kayaker](#): > > We feed our African spurred tortoise **Kjell** some Aloe Vera a few times a week. He loves it. Depending on what you read, Aloe Vera is either toxic to humans or a “Superfood”. Either way, all references agree it tastes nasty. So either way, toxic to your body or toxic to your wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/38 "2018-12-18T21:02:35Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > **]Toxic may be an exaggeration** but birds can eat peppers that humans would be better off ignoring; they simply have no response to capsaicin. > > It’s time to dust [this](https://littera-abactor.livejournal.com/7748.html) off again. [Hawfinch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawfinch#Feeding) regularly feed on cherry seeds, which would be plenty too cyanide-rich for a human! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/39 "2018-12-18T21:27:43Z")
Deer can eat mountain laurel and rhododendron, though they apparently don’t like it, and do so only when other food is not available. Rhododendron is toxic to many species, including some grazing species like cattle, sheep and horses. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251/40 "2018-12-18T23:06:41Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Deer can eat mountain laurel and rhododendron, though they apparently don’t like it, and do so only when other food is not available. Rhododendron is toxic to many species, including some grazing species like cattle, sheep and horses. Deer, on the other hand, _love_ poison oak as I think is noted above. At least the local to me Colombian black-tailed deer( a type of mule deer ). And yes, goats have [no problem](http://calag.ucanr.edu/Archive/?article=ca.v046n03p4) with the stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-for-pets-deadly-for-humans/826251.md?page=3)