Page 946 - Veterinary Toxicology, Basic and Clinical Principles, 3rd Edition

898 SECTION | XIV Poisonous Plants

VetBooks.ir mydriasis, tachycardia, polypnea, and fever (Widmer, bloating. These symptoms are followed by a severe form
characterized by nervous signs such as retching, trem-
1984).
bling, violent seizures that last 10 15 min, muscular con-
CONVALLARIA MAJALIS (LILIACEAE tractions, ataxia, anorexia, tachycardia, intense tachypnea
and dyspnea, nystagmus, mydriasis, ptyalism, and bloat-
FAMILY) ing. Death can occur within 20 min to 2 h after a crisis by
Common Names: Lily of the Valley, May respiratory arrest (20% 50% of cases), or there may be a
progressive cure. The lesions are not specific and are
Lily, Jacob’s Lily and Our Lady’s Tears
characterized by severe and generalized congestion,
This is a native European perennial plant of garden or edema and cyanosis of the mucous membranes (Faliu
wood that contains poisonous substances in the roots and et al., 1985; Lorgue et al., 1996).
stems. The leaves are long and broad, typical of the
Liliaceae family. It is an ornamental houseplant. The ani- DATURA SPP. (SOLANACEAE FAMILY)
mals most affected are dogs, cats and poultry. Dogs and
cat usually chew and/or swallow the flowers and birds Common Name: Thorn Apple
(poultry, duck, and geese) usually ingest the fresh plants.
All species of Datura are poisonous. The following spe-
cies may be found where pets may be exposed:
Toxicity
Datura stramonium (jimsonweed or Jamestown weed)
The plant Convallaria majalis contains cardiotoxicants
Datura metaloides (thorn apple, apple of Peru, and
and convallatoxins.
tolguacha),
Datura arborea (trumpet vine and angel’s trumpet).
Clinical Presentation
These species and others are grown as ornamentals,
Poisoned animals are often found dead. Occasionally, ter-
such as trumpet vine, or occur as weeds. The plants vary
minal seizures are evidenced. Symptoms vary from mild
in appearance, but all have large, tubular flowers ranging
gastrointestinal perturbation (vomiting, diarrhea) to termi-
in color from white to lavender. The fruit is an ovoid
nal cardiac dysfunction (arrhythmias, bradycardia).
spiny capsule, giving rise to the common name, thorn
apple. Most of the plants emit an objectionable odor.
CORIARIA MYRTIFOLIA (CORIARIACEAE
FAMILY) Toxicity
Common Names: Tanner’s Herb, Poisonous substances found in Datura are tropane alka-
Mediterranean Coriaria, and Redoul loids (atropine, hyoscine, and scopolamine) and hyoscya-
mine in all parts of the plant, particular in the seeds. The
This is an ornamental plant that grows in the foliage may contain as much as 0.25% 0.7% alkaloids.
Mediterranean countries of Europe. The seeds are likely to be the source of toxicity for pets.

Toxicity Conditions of Poisoning
Coriaria myrtifolia contains coriamyrtine, which can In the illicit drug culture, Datura seeds are circulated to
cause convulsions similar to those produced by strychnine produce hallucinations. As with other plants involved in
or picrotoxin. The entire plant is toxic, and poisoning the illicit drug trade, pets are likely to consume toxic
occurs via ingestion of the stems, branches, and fruits. material accidentally if their owners are careless in han-
dling the plant. Occasionally, a person may deliberately
Clinical Presentation give the material to his or her animals.
The frequency of poisoning is high in goats and low in
cattle and horses. Goats of all ages are very sensitive in Clinical Presentation
regions in which redoul (imported breeds) is present. Clinical signs associated with Datura poisoning are similar
The number of affected individuals in herds varies to thosecausedbyanoverdoseof atropine. Thesigns may
from 10% to 50%. The lag time is short, 20 min occur a few moments after ingestion or may not appear for
(sometimes ,5 min) to 2 h after ingestion of the plant several hours. The poisoning has an acute course in which
(Faliu et al., 1985). there is a weak, rapid pulse and heartbeat; disturbances of
Mild symptoms are characterized by drunkenness, pty- vision (dilated pupils due to mydriatic effects of Datura);
alism, mydriasis, sometimes chills, loss of appetite, and dry mouth; incoordination; convulsions; and coma.