Belladonna is extremely toxic for dogs
Atropa belladonna 
Belladonna is a perennial herbaceous plant that can reach a height of up to 1.5 metres and is found primarily in deciduous forests. It has up to 3 cm large, bell-shaped individual flowers that are brownish purple on the outside and yellowish green on the inside, and in very rare cases can also be yellow. The fruits of deadly nightshade resemble cherries, but are solitary on the stem.
All parts of belladonna are very poisonous to dogs. Belladonna, like most nightshade plants, contains tropane alkaloids, which are very poisonous to dogs. These are natural plant poisons that the plants produce to ward off parasites.
Belladonna is also known as:
- deadly nightshade
What should I do if my dog ate Belladonna?
How toxic is Belladonna?
| Toxicity: | (extremely toxic) |
| Toxic parts: | All parts of belladonna are very poisonous. |
| Toxic time: | winter, spring, summer, autumn |
| Antidote: | Physostigmine |
If your dog shows symptoms of poisoning, it is always an emergency! Time is critical for your dog's life. You should immediately call your vet or the animal emergency services and make sure that a vet is on site and then go there immediately. For the treatment, it helps the vet a lot to know what your dog has ingested.
Occurrence Belladonna
| Plant species: | Garden and wild plant |
| Occurrence: | Forests |
| Areas: | Western Europe |
| Flowering time: | summer |
| Fruit ripening: | summer, autumn |
Symptoms
The following symptoms may occur in case of poisoning with belladonna:
- accelerated breathing
- thirst
- difficulty swallowing
- dilated pupils and visual disturbances
- palpitations
- stomach pain
- constipation
- problems with urination
- fever
- cramps
- movement and consciousness disorders
- death may occur due to respiratory paralysis
Treatment
The vet will always try to remove the ingested poison from the body and alleviate the specific symptoms of poisoning.
There are different methods to remove the poison from the body:
1. ACTIVATED CHARCOAL: Activated charcoal can absorb toxins. If possible, it should be administered within 2 hours after ingestion of the poison, so that the toxin does not enter the bloodstream.
2. LAXATIVES: The vet may combine the administration of activated charcoal with a laxative.
3. VOMITING: The vet can also induce vomiting using medication to remove the toxin from the body.
In the case of severe poisoning with belladonna, the vet can administer an antidote, give infusions and medication against convulsions and to lower the fever.
More information on dog poisonings can be found here:
Preventing, identifying and treating poisoning in dogs
Further poisonous plants from A to Z
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