Abstract
Plant poisoning occurs less commonly in dogs and cats than in herbivorous livestock, but numerous cases have been documented worldwide, most of them caused by common and internationally widely cultivated ornamental garden and house plants. Few cases of poisoning of cats and dogs have been reported in southern Africa, but many of the plants that have caused poisoning in these species elsewhere are widely available in the subregion and are briefly reviewed in terms of toxic principles, toxicity, species affected, clinical signs, and prognosis. The list includes Melia azedarach (syringa), Brunfelsia spp. (yesterday, today and tomorrow), Datura stramonium (jimsonweed, stinkblaar), a wide variety of lilies and lily-like plants, cycads, plants that contain soluble oxalates, plants containing cardiac glycosides and other cardiotoxins and euphorbias (Euphorbia pulcherrima, E. tirucalli). Poisoning by plant products such as macadamia nuts, onions and garlic, grapes and raisins, cannabis (marijuana, dagga) or hashish and castor oil seed or seedcake is also discussed. Many of the poisonings are not usually fatal, but others frequently result in death unless rapid action is taken by the owner and the veterinarian, underlining the importance of awareness of the poisonous potential of a number of familiar plants.
Highlights
Plant toxicoses occur worldwide, but southern Africa’s rich and varied flora places the region high on the list of areas where stock losses due to plant poisoning are likely
The greatest majority of plant poisonings in dogs and cats are the result of exposure to house or garden plants, or to substances derived from plants that are used for food or other purposes in the home
A survey by a poison reporting centre at the University of Turin, Italy, which receives calls from all over Italy, reported that of 4297 calls relating to poisoning in dogs and cats in the first 7 years of operation, 5 % involved plant poisoning in dogs and 11 % in cats, plant poisonings in the 2 species being the subject of 6.1 % of the calls; a further 0.6 % of calls related to hashish and cannabis poisoning in dogs[1]
Summary
But southern Africa’s rich and varied flora places the region high on the list of areas where stock losses due to plant poisoning are likely. Plant poisoning in farm animals causes serious financial losses in South Africa[33]. There are fewer documented cases of plant poisoning in dogs and cats in this region than in the Americas, Europe and Australia. Most of the plants involved are not indigenous to southern Africa, but are widely grown in homes and gardens throughout the region. Dogs and cats are not normally plant eaters, but might chew plants for various reasons, in particular boredom when confined in the owner ’s absence and curiosity or teething aDepartment of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110 South Africa. Submission of plant samples for botanical confirmation is useful in order to determine ongoing treatment protocols and prognosis and to help owners to make the home a safer place for their dogs and cats
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