First Aid for Plant Poisoning |
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| PLANTS | SYMPTOMS |
TREATMENT |
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Oral
and esophageal irritation: ulcers, swelling, and irritation in mouth
and throat; excessive salivation. Swelling in throat may
sometimes interfere with breathing. |
DO
NOT induce vomiting. Give milk or water to wash out the animal's
mouth and throat; an eyedropper is good for this, but make sure you
don't force liquid down the trachea. Usually this type of
poisoning is not fatal, but if the animal seems to be having difficulty
in breating, take it to the veterinarian. |
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Gastric
irritation: violent vomiting and nausea immediately after eating the
plant. May see central nervous system excitement followed by
depression, coma, or death in severe cases. |
Induce
vomiting. Give activated charcoal to absorb (bind) the rest of the
toxins. Give lots of wter with an eyedropped, then give 1-5 Tbsp. of
milk to coat the intestines. Take the cat to the veterinarian. |
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Intestinal
irritation: nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea
immediately after eating. |
Same as above. Induce
vomiting, give activated charcoal and lots of water, then milk. |
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Nausea, vomiting,
abdominal pain, and diarrhea immediately after eating. |
Same as above. Induce vomiting, give activated charcoal and lots of water, then milk. |
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Vomiting, bloody
diarrhea, abdominal pain after a latent period of up to 18-24 hours
after eating. May see depression, fever, low blood pressure, coma
or convulsions, even death. |
Induce
vomiting. Give lots of fluid by mouth to help overcome
dehydration. Get cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible;
these plants are extremely toxic, and only one
bean or pea may be fatal. |
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Vomiting,
abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, dry mouth, all after a latent period
of 18-24 hours after plant was eaten. May proceed to nervous system
stimulation followed by depression; i.e., trembling, salivation, and
paralysis. May lead to cardiac arrest. |
Induce
vomiting if possible, but exercise caution: the gastrointestinal tract
may already have suffered extensive damage that vomiting would
exacerbate. Get the cat to your veterinarian promptly so that he
or she can provide the necessary supportive therapy. |
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Slow, irregular
heartbeat, intense vomiting, abdominal pain also seen a few hours after
ingestion. Signs may progress to include excitement, followed by coma
and death. |
Get the cat to the
veterinarian at once. The digitalis glycosides have a severe depressent
effect on the heart. This
is a life-threatening emergency. |
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Labored
breating, collapse. May suffer muscle tics, terminal convulsion,
and death. |
Take
the cat to the veterinarian immediately.
Cyanide poisoning interferes with the ability of the blood to release
oxygen into the tissues, so the cat effectively suffocates while its
blood is full of oxygen. Your veterinarian will have the
necessary chemical antidotes for this poinson |
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Trembling, pupil
dilation, heartbeat irregularities. Sudden death may occur with
no prior signs. The signs will vary with the amount eaten.
If only a small amount is ingested, you may see nausea, vomiting, and
abdominal pain along with mild neurologic signs. |
Induce vomiting and
get to the cat to the veterinarian
immediately. Yew is so poisonous that the most common
finding is sudden death. Owners often do not even realize that
the yew has been nibbled. |
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Rapid heartbeat,
salivation, shaking, twitching, staggering, then difficult breathing
and collapse within a few minutes to hours of eating plant. |
Get the cat to the
veterinarian immediately.
Specific chemical injections are required to counteract the effects of
nicotine poisoning. |
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Staggering,
convulsions, salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain. |
Induce vomiting, then
take the cat to the veterinarian. The oxalates are absorbed into the
bloodstream, interfering with body calcium (leading to convulsions) and
may be deposited as crystals in the kidneys, causing extensive damage
there. |
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Thirst, dry mucous
membranes, dilated pupils, gastrointestinal upset, fast, weak heart,
delierium, convulsions, coma, death. |
Get the cat to the
veterinarian immediately.
Chemical antidotes and supportive care that only a veterinarian can
provide are necessary to save the animal's life. |
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Alteration in
behavior, violent convulsions and tremors. |
Induce vomiting and
get the cat to the veterinarian. Specific antidotes and
supportive care (oxygen, fluid therapy, tranquilizers) may be necessary. |
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How
to induce vomiting
The goal when inducing vomiting is to remove poison from the stomach before it can pass to the intestines and be absorbed into the bloodstream. Open the cat's mouth without tipping its head way back and slowly pour in one of the following:
If activated charcoal (the kind purchased in a pharmacy, not charcoal briquets) is available, mix several teaspons into the liquid. The charcoil will adsorb (bind to) poison in the intestine, so it is passed out of the body without entering the bloodstream. Do not use the charcoal if the cat has been given syrup of ipecac, for they will bind together and inactivate each other. Try coating the intestines to slow absorption. Feed the cat one to three tablespoons of eggs whites. One to two teaspoons of mineral oil may help prevent some poisons from passing from the intensive into the cat's system, but this must be given slowly and carefully to prevent aspiration. While traveling to the veterinarian, keep the cat warm and lower its head to allow liquids to drain out of the mouth. Related Links:
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