Happy (almost) Easter! This weekโs posts are going to be themed around toxins commonly seen around the Easter holiday. Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ are a common plant around the Easter holiday, however they can be found in gardens and homes year round. There are actually over 4000 different species of lily, not all of which are toxic.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
This toxicity affects cats!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
The toxic agent in lily plants has not yet been identified, but it is found in all parts of the plant, including pollen. Cats that ingest as little as 2 leaves, or part of a single flower can develop toxicity. There have also been cases where the pollen from the flower has landed on the cat, and the cat acquires the toxin through cleaning its fur. Thus, it is very important to keep all your kitty friends far away from lilies!
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
The toxin appears to target the kidneys, particularly the ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ, which are the cells lining the kidney tubules. The toxin causes ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ (cell death) of these lining cells. Pretty much all of the kidney is composed of tubules, so any damage to these cells can quickly lead to kidney failure.
Cats with ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ (fast onset) kidney failure will often be dehydrated and ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ (urinating excessively) early on, then progress to ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ renal failure, where no urine is produced. The polyuric phase occurs 12-30 hours after ingestion, and the anuric phase occurs after 24-48 hours. If not treated, these animals typically die within 3-7 days.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Diagnosis can be challenging without a history of lily exposure. Measuring ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง and ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ levels, both products normally excreted in the urine, can be a clue to identify the renal failure. ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ (analyzing the urine) can also help identify signs of renal failure. However, neither of these tests will specifically identify lily consumption, because other toxins or conditions can also cause these changes.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Treatment typically involves fluid therapy, to help flush the toxin out of the kidneys and prevent dehydration. However, this treatment can only be used prior to the anuric phase of the toxicity. Once anuria has occurred, cats will need to undergo dialysis or hemodialysis, similar to a human kidney failure patient.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-2) Two of the most common lily plants in homes, the ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ and the ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ. Both of these plants are toxic to cats!
3-4) A cat kidney showing signs of tubular necrosis.
5) What renal tubular necrosis looks like on histology! The tubules should normally have defined, solid borders, but here they look all holey and moth-eaten.
6) A list of some of the known toxic lily species! (also adding to the main post in case people want to share!)
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Fitzgerald KT. Lily toxicity in the cat. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine 2010;25(4):213-217.
Photos 1-2 ยฉ Wikimedia Commons contributor Audrey licensed under CC 2.0 International.
Photos 3-5 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Morris, Crowell licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
