Poisoning by Dieffenbachia picta schott in: Case report

Abstract

Poisoning by ornamental plants is a situation commonly found in the routine of care in the medical clinic of small animals, but with difficult diagnosis. Poisoning by Dieffenbachia ssp (with-no-one- can) a plant easily found in home residences, has the toxic principle based on calcium oxalate leading to gastrointestinal and even neurological clinical picture. Thus, the present article has as objective to report the occurrence of the clinical picture of Dieffenbachia ssp poisoning (with me-no-can) in dogs. For this, a canine, female, Lhasa Apso, 9 months old, weighing 5.8 kg, arrived at the clinical emergency room presenting vomiting, intense sialorrhea, nystagmus and behavior change aimed at aggressiveness, later intake of the plant with me-no-nobody-can, according to information from its responsible. The patient presented with altered clinical parameters due to the clinical picture of intoxication, which was possible to observe aquipnea, shorty, increased capillary filling time, intense abdominal algia, among others. Due to the patient's clinical urgency and aggressiveness, intramuscular acepromazine and methadone-based sedation was performed, with subsequent venous access and initiation of clinical control therapy based on fluid therapy, antibiotic therapy, antiemetics and diuretics. The monitoring of clinical parameters and installed therapy was performed during the next 48 hours with satisfactory patient evolution and subsequent clinical release, absent from neurological clinical signs and control of gastrointestinal condition. Thus, it can be concluded that the clinical picture was an oral intoxication by ornamental plant Dieffenbachia ssp known as with meno-can.