Oral Paper

         Ethnobotany

An overview of plant poisoning trends in Virginia: domestic animal cases from 2001 - 2021

Presenting Author
Kiya Rahn
Description
Companion animal poisoning cases resulting from exposure or suspected exposure to plant material are a common occurrence in the United States. From cultivars to native plants, outdoors and inside, many plants pose dangerous health risks to domestic pets. We examined a dataset provided by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), a diagnostic and treatment hotline that condenses reports of pet poisonings and details in the Antox database system. Such toxicology events are characterized by poisoning agent, animal species involved, date, and location. The original dataset consisted of 111,276 call records spanning from 2001-2021; after quality control and data filtering, plant-related poisoning records of domestic dogs and cats in Virginia accounted for 7.25% of the total call volume. Canines accounted for 73.6% of this subset, while felines accounted for 26.4%. Plant families Genera Vitis sp. (table grapes), Lilium sp. (true lilies), and Allium sp. (onion, garlic, etc.) accounted for 37.8% of plant call volume. Additionally, domestic animals exposed to harmful plant tissue were asymptomatic in 56.4% of cases. This number was markedly higher for cats than dogs; felines presented with symptoms in 57.7% of cases, while canines presented with symptoms in only 38.6% of cases. We further examined these data for trends over geography, time, and other demographics and found northern Virginia disproportionately represented the number of reports per capita as compared to central and southwest VA; we determined Falls Church City, VA to have the highest density of plant-related poisoning reports per capita. As the APCC is a paid service, we hypothesized differences in median income in the state were responsible for this bias. We utilized publicly available income data and ArcGIS Pro to assess this trend and found a significant relationship between median income and poisoning report density. Finally, we used this dataset to compile non-technical guides to toxic plants in Virginia for cat and dog owners. The guides provide a quick reference for recognizing common signs and symptoms of toxicosis in companion animals, and allow users to identify potentially toxic plant genera in and around the home. Our findings reflect the importance of educating pet owners on the plant species they may encounter in or around the home that could endanger their pets.