Discussion
Toxic plants and seeds are found in apartments, houses, and gardens worldwide, and it is relatively common for dogs to accidentally consume house or outdoor plants.17,18 Nevertheless, there is a general lack of information concerning pet poisoning associated with plants, and most of the literature ismainly associated with common garden plants, based on the clinical picture and management of those plant poisonings,17,19 although there has been a serious advance in this area in recent years. In many cases, animals that ingest poisonous plants remain asymptomatic or only have moderate and transient gastrointestinal signs. However, sometimes severe clinical processes can be developed, depending on the toxic plant consumed and the amount, part, and developmental stage of the plant. Moreover, death can occur if poisoned pets are not brought immediately to veterinary emergency units and if they are not treated in time,20 because, as with other potential poisoning, the sooner the management is initiated, the better the outcome.18 In this sense, when fatal poisoning associated with ingestion of Chinaberry tree fruits has been reported, on necropsy, acute cases reveal evidence of gastrointestinal irritation only, but in animals that survive for several days, histological examination shows fatty degeneration and hyperemia of the liver and kidneys.2 The necropsy of a dog revealed severe renal congestion, moderate hepatic congestion, and a moderate amount of sero-sanguineous fluid in the abdominal area,11 with fatal signs associated with circulatory collapse and respiratory distress. It must be considered that for severe poisoning, the animal has to chew or bite the fruits to release the toxicity.21 Some experimental Chinaberry poisonings have been developed for ruminants. Calves that received 20 g of fruits per kilogram body weight showed apathy and ruminalatony, sternal decubitus, difficulty drinking, hypothermia, dyspnea, and coma followed by death.