Intoxicação de canídeo doméstico por ingestão de Espada de São Jorge

Abstract

Saint George's sword (Sansevieria trifasciata) is a plant with elongated leaves and of rhizomatous characteristics that is easily adaptable to different environments. It naturally produces chemical substances such as saponins, alkaloids and calcium oxalate to maintain its vital functions or as a defense mechanism. When ingested in high doses by dogs, they can pose a health risk, as they can cause gastrointestinal, liver and kidney damage, and even lead to the death of these animals. This is a descriptive study of the narrative literature review type, with the main objective of investigating and understanding the poisoning of domestic canines from ingestion of Saint George's sword, offering theoretical support to veterinary health professionals in identifying and treating occurrences, and understanding the potential damage that its components can cause to the animal’s organism if ingested, thus improving life expectancy and the prognosis, in addition to aiding in prevention through access to information. During this work’s implementation, it was observed that technical literature on the subject was scarce and that the majority of cases of canine poisoning occur due to the owners' lack of knowledge regarding the toxicity of the plant, and thus not considering any means of prevention. This work was carried out based on extensive searches on the PubMed, Scielo, ResearchGate and Google Scholar platforms, using keywords such as “gastrointestinal disorders”, “ornamental plants” and “toxic plant”.