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Castor Beans are Poisonous To Pets

Name: Castor Bean

Toxins: Ricin

Symptoms: Increase in body temperature accompanied by depression, this will progress to vomiting, profuse diarrhea with or without blood, extreme abdominal pain followed by convulsions, collapse and death occurring within 36 hours of consumption.

Additional Information: Caster Beans are derived from the Castor oil plant or Ricinus Communis, in actuality it is the seeds that are extremely toxic not the beans (which are not by definition true beans anyway). The seeds contain trigglycerides and high concentrations of the primary toxin Ricin, which can also be found in lower concentrations throughout the plant.

Ricin has a long as a poison, with plans for weaponization dating back to the First World War and the United States investigating it’s use in the form of a chemical cloud to be dispersed over enemy troops, or as a coating for shrapnel and bullets. Although this use and research was discontinued as it would have been a violation of the Hague Treaty.

Ricin is extremely toxic with a lethal dose to adult humans being only 1/5,000th of a gram or 0.2 milligrams, with Ricin being 12,000 times more toxic than rattlesnake venom, and 6000 times more deadly than cyanide. An adult human with a body weight of around 180lbs could conceivably die from the ingestion of as little as 6 to 8 beans, leading us to make the assumption that a pet with an average body weight many times lower than that of a human could ingest a much smaller amount to obtain a lethal dose maybe as little as one seed.

Ricin achieves its deadly effect by the inhibition of protein synthesis preventing the cells form making the proteins essential for continued cell life, without the proteins the cells will die harming the entire body and resulting in death. The first signs that an animal has ingested Ricin usually include an increase in body temperature accompanied by depression, this will progress to vomiting, profuse diarrhea with or without blood, extreme abdominal pain followed by convulsions, collapse and death occurring within 36 hours of consumption.

There is no specific antidote for Ricin poisoning however a solution of saline and glucose has been used with limited success in the treatment of Ricin poisoning.

First Aid: Prevent further ingestion of the plant and contact a veterinarian immediately to provide emergency medical procedures. If the consumption is more than a few hours old the only probably option is supportive care and treatment for shock although it is still likely that death may result.