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Castor Beans are Poisonous To Pets
Plant Name:
Castor Bean
Scientific Name:
Ricinus communis
Family:
Euphorbiaceae
Toxins:
Ricin
Poisoning 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.
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.
Species Affected:
Toxic To Dogs
Toxic To Cats
Toxic To Horses
Comments
Mon, 01/28/2013 - 22:26
#1
What about castor oil?
Is castor oil (that you get at the pharmacy) poisonous to dogs?
I'm not saying I want to give it to my dog, but I do have some in my medicine cabinet, and if she were to lick some off my hand or something, would it harm her?
Thu, 01/31/2013 - 13:48
#2
RE: What about Castor Oil?
I checked the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which said the following:
"Castor beans are processed throughout the world to make castor oil. Ricin is part of the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is made.'
So according to the CDC, the ricin is somehow removed during the processing process. I also checked out the wiki to see if it provided any useful information and got the following:
Castor oil is a stimulant and lubricating laxative. It is not a preferred treatment, because it can produce painful cramps, fecal incontinence and explosive diarrhea [not fun for the dog or pet owner]. Its action can go on for hours, sometimes unpredictably and powerfully causing an involuntary bowel movement at inconvenient locations and during sleep. [Again, sounds like a less than entertaining evening]
The potential for "unpredictably uncontrollable explosive diarrhea" following ingestion would dissuade me from allowing my dog to ingest the product. I am sure it is dose dependent, but dogs come in many sizes so I suppose it is theoretically possible for a 'small dog' to lick it from your hand and ingest enough to become a poop time bomb.
Sat, 06/30/2018 - 01:56
#3
Way overblown danger
Should you feed your dog the seeds? Of course not.
It takes 11 chewed up seeds to kill the average dog.
They don't taste good so your dog has to like chewing.
Case study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10825094
Mon, 12/14/2020 - 09:50
#4
taste is likely subjective
I agree that it would be the seeds or plant that would cause the issues.. That said dogs routinely eat things that I would consider not tasting good, up to and including the poop from other dogs, sticks, plastics of all sorts, things they find in the garbage can, feminine hygiene products, panty hose, socks, dirt, rocks etc.. Best bet I would say is don't give them the opportunity to be in contact with the thing.
