Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with breathing and heart failure after eating Brunfelsia plant
By Crowley, J D et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2019·University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Sydney, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypoventilation, cardiac dysrhythmia, and cardiac arrest following acute Brunfelsia species (Yesterday, today, tomorrow) intoxication in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old dog became very sick after eating parts of a garden shrub called 'Yesterday, today, tomorrow' (Brunfelsia sp.). The dog showed symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive drooling, and soon developed severe neurological issues, including seizures that didn't respond to medication. Despite efforts to treat the dog with various medications and mechanical ventilation for breathing problems, it sadly suffered a fatal heart rhythm issue four days later. This case highlights the dangers of this plant and the serious effects it can have on dogs.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intoxication following ingestion of the popular garden shrub 'Yesterday, today, tomorrow' (Brunfelsia sp.) is known to result in gastrointestinal and central nervous system clinical signs in dogs. CASE REPORT: A 2-year-old dog developed acute-onset vomiting, profuse diarrhoea and ptyalism after unsupervised access to an enclosed backyard that contained a Brunfelsia sp. shrub. During initial assessment the watery diarrhoea contained plant material and the dog appeared painful on abdominal palpation. Soon after admission, severe neurological abnormalities developed. Decontamination was undertaken by gastric and colonic lavage under general anaesthesia, but on recovery the patient had generalised seizures that were unresponsive to benzodiazepines. Following treatment with multiple antiepileptic medications and endotracheal intubation for loss of gag reflex, the patient developed respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Four days after initial presentation, the patient developed cardiac dysrhythmia leading to fatal cardiac arrest. Plant material recovered from the shrub and the patient's gastrointestinal tract were identified as Brunfelsia spp. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of hypoventilation, severe cardiac dysrhythmia and cardiac arrest associated with Brunfelsia sp. intoxication in a dog. Previous reports described clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease and mild cardiac dysrhythmia progressing to seizure activity and opisthotonus. Electrocardiography should form part of patient monitoring and mechanical ventilation considered for patients that develop respiratory failure, especially if massive ingestion is suspected.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31136688/