Podophyllum peltatum, commonly called May apple, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern North America extending westward to Minnesota and Texas. A spring ephemerals, the plant emerges in the spring and slowly begins to die off during mid to late summer. The plant grows 1.5 to 2 feet tall, with 2, occasionally 3 palmately lobed leaves 8-11 inches in diameter. The plant also produces a single white flower, with six (rarely up to nine) petals from each erect stem at the axil of the two leaves. The flowers mature into a greenish-yellow fruit 1 to 2 inches long. May apple prefers moist, fertile soils such as those of woodlands and pastures and appears in clonal colonies. Individual shoots are often connected by systems of thick rhizomes.

This plant should be considered toxic for pets as all parts of the plant contain podophyllin, a bitter, cytostatic resinous compound. Podophyllin has a number of effect on the body. It is both a potent irritant of living tissue and a strong laxative. It also interferes with normal cell division inhibiting cell growth and multiplication. The most common symptoms of ingestion are colic and diarrhea. More often than not, there will also be indications of the toxins irritant properties such as excessive salivation, swelling/blistering of the muzzle, and swelling of the mouth and throat. Additionally the eyes and eyelids may become irritated and swell shut as the resinous toxin is transferred from the mouth to the face; such as would be the case when an animal paws at the mouth and face in response to the plants irritant properties.

Serious or potentially life threatening intoxication as a result of may apple ingestion is rare. The plant is bitter in taste and acts as an immediate irritant when it comes in contact with skin; both of which tend to dissuade overconsumption. As a result livestock will typically avoid ingestion the plant unless deprived of their normal forages, thus forcing them to eat it. In most cases the symptoms will be limited to dermatological issues and gastrointestinal upset. In the vast majority of cases pets and livestock will make a full recovery once they are prevented from eating the plant.

Podophyllum peltatum, commonly called May apple, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern North America extending westward to Minnesota and Texas. A spring ephemerals, the plant emerges in the spring and slowly begins to die off during mid to late summer. The plant grows 1.5 to 2 feet tall, with 2, occasionally 3 palmately lobed leaves 8-11 inches in diameter. The plant also produces a single white flower, with six (rarely up to nine) petals from each erect stem at the axil of the two leaves. The flowers mature into a greenish-yellow fruit 1 to 2 inches long. May apple prefers moist, fertile soils such as those of woodlands and pastures and appears in clonal colonies. Individual shoots are often connected by systems of thick rhizomes.

This plant should be considered toxic for pets as all parts of the plant contain podophyllin, a bitter, cytostatic resinous compound. Podophyllin has a number of effect on the body. It is both a potent irritant of living tissue and a strong laxative. It also interferes with normal cell division inhibiting cell growth and multiplication. The most common symptoms of ingestion are colic and diarrhea. More often than not, there will also be indications of the toxins irritant properties such as excessive salivation, swelling/blistering of the muzzle, and swelling of the mouth and throat. Additionally the eyes and eyelids may become irritated and swell shut as the resinous toxin is transferred from the mouth to the face; such as would be the case when an animal paws at the mouth and face in response to the plants irritant properties.

Serious or potentially life threatening intoxication as a result of may apple ingestion is rare. The plant is bitter in taste and acts as an immediate irritant when it comes in contact with skin; both of which tend to dissuade overconsumption. As a result livestock will typically avoid ingestion the plant unless deprived of their normal forages, thus forcing them to eat it. In most cases the symptoms will be limited to dermatological issues and gastrointestinal upset. In the vast majority of cases pets and livestock will make a full recovery once they are prevented from eating the plant.

Cyanogenic glycosides are a natural plant self defense mechanism found in a percentage of ferns and higher plant species designed to harm or dissuade animals from eating them. These are amino acid derived compounds linked to a glucose molecule and stored as an inactive toxin in specialized subunits within the plant cells, called vacoule. When animals damage plant leaves these enclosed cellular compartments release cyanogenic glucosides which then come into contact with enzymes in the plant called ?-glucosidases. This removes the glucose molecule leaving cyanohydrin; a chemically unstable amino acid derived compound that will further degrade spontaneously or by the action of an hydroxynitrile lyase to produce toxic hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN).

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a highly toxic volatile compound that interferes with the cellular respiration by inhibiting the cytochrome oxidase enzyme in mitochondria. This prevents the production of ATP (adenosine-5'-triphosphate), the molecule that transfers energy in the cell. Luckily plant related cyanide poisoning in pets is extremely uncommon as the bitter taste of cyanogenic glucosides tend to limit the amount of plant that the pet can tolerate consuming. Of the 3000 species of plant known to produce cyanogenic glucosides the most common ones that pets come into contact with are pitted fruits such as peaches, cherries and almonds; pome fruits such as apples and pears; legumes such as clover and vetch; elderberry; and a variety of grasses. Of these the greatest risk would be posed by the pits or seeds of pitted or pome fruits which a pet may ingest out of curiosity leading to a rapid ingestion of a toxic dose. 

The begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. Begonia is the sixth largest flowering plant genus and contains over 1,500 species and some 10,000+ hybrids. As there are so many species it is impossible to provide an accurate one size fits all description. In general the majority of begonia species are terrestrial (grow in the earth); some are known to grow from other plants such as trees (epiphytic). The plants are typically considered herbs or undershrubs and are native to the subtropical and tropical moist climates of South and Central America, Africa and southern Asia. In the wild terrestrial species are commonly upright-stemmed, rhizomatous, or tuberous. In most species the fruit is a winged capsule containing numerous minute seeds, although berry type fruits are also known. The leaves, which are often large and variously marked or variegated, are usually asymmetric (unequal-sided).

There are two potentially toxic agents in the tuberous portion of begonias, calcium oxalates and cucurbitacin B. The first, calcium oxalate crystals are one of the more common plant toxins and can be found in hundreds of popular houseplants and ornamentals. When consumed, these plants cause an intense burning sensation of the mouth, throat, lips and tongue; excessive drooling, choking, gagging and potentially serious swelling of the throat that could cause difficulty or the inability to swallow (dysphagia). Symptoms can occur immediately or up to 2 hours after ingestion and may continue to occur for up to two weeks after ingestion.

These plants contain special cells called idioblasts. Found in a number of plant species both poisonous and non-poisonous, idioblasts differ from neighboring cells in that they contain non-living substances like oil, latex, gum, resin, tannin, pigments or minerals. One of these substances is raphides or bundles of needlelike crystals of calcium oxalate that tend to be blunt at one end and sharp at the other. The crystals are packed in a gelatinous substance that contains free oxalic acid.

When animals chew on the plant the tip of the idioblast is broken allowing saliva from the animal or sap from the plant to enter the cell. This in turn causes the gelatinous material to swell forcing the raphides (needle like calcium oxalate crystals) to violently shoot out from the cells into the surrounding area. The calcium oxalate crystals then penetrate and embed themselves into the tissues of the mouth, tongue, throat and stomach causing (in most cases) immediate discomfort and aggravation as would be expected when millions of microscopic needles are lodged in ones throat and mouth. The idioblasts may continue to expel raphides for a considerable amount of time after ingestion allowing the crystals to also embed themselves into lining of the stomach and intestine causing additional gastrointestinal upset.

The second toxic compound “cucurbitacin B” is a biochemical compound produced by the plant in order to defend itself from being eaten. Cucurbitacins are generally cytotoxic (promote cell death) and can be extremely poisonous to some animal species. Additionally, cucurbitacins are also known for providing plants with an extremely bitter and displeasing taste.

In the vast majority of cases clinical signs will present immediately or within two hours of ingestion. Clinical signs include obvious pain and irritation that is generally expressed by violently shaking the head, drooling excessively, pawing at the mouth, gagging, vomiting or dry heaving. The animal may also whine, bark or yelp in an unusually hoarse or weak sounding voice. Other clinical signs include depression, diarrhea, inappetance and swelling of the mouth, throat and tongue. In some cases swelling may be so severe as to restrict oxygen intake resulting in dyspnea (shortness of breath, gasping for air). The crystals irritation of the stomach also commonly results in diarrhea.

Due to the fact that the plant is both bitter in taste and acts as an immediate irritant to the mouth, large ingestions are uncommon. Additionally, the toxins are located in the underground portions (tubers) of the plant and the toxin amount is relatively low, so potentially life-threatening or serious intoxication of a pet from begonia (while theoretically possible) is basically unheard of. It may be that like the tomato, the potential danger posed by begonia has been blown a bit out of proportion. In regards to the plants toxicity towards humans, the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County lists begona as non-toxic, with the notation “that these plants have shown no more toxicity than an equal amount of vegetable matter. Symptoms are unlikely”.