Oleander Is Poisonous To Pets

Name: Oleander

Toxins: Cardiac glycosides, nerioside, oleandroside, oleandrin

Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac abnormalities, decreased body temperature, death.

Additional Information:  Oleander is extremely poisonous with death resulting from just a small amount of ingestion. The toxins oleandrin and nerioside have a cardiotoxic as well as a neurotoxic affect on the body. There have been reports of livestock weighing over 1000lbs dying from ingesting as little as 30 leaves.

The health of the animal will decrease rapidly after ingestion of Oleander, in some cases the first symptom will be "finding the animal dead". In other cases the symptoms will generally be depression, vomiting , diarrhea with or without blood, extreme abdominal pain, irregular heart rythem, irregular heart rate. In the advanced stages of poisoing the animals extremities (legs, tail, ears) may become cold, followed by trembling, collapse and within a few hours death.

First Aid: Induce Vomiting by Gastric Lavage to remove any undigested plant matter, Seek Emergency Veterinary Treatment. Medications to counteract the affect on the heart may be necessary. In many cases even with prompt veterinary treatment the animal will still die.