Airway obstruction in a dog after Dieffenbachia ingestion

To describe a case of Dieffenbachia ingestion in a dog presented for dysphagia and airway obstruction successfully treated with a temporary tracheostomy and supportive care beyond that reported in the veterinary literature.

An 8-year-old male neutered Labrador Retriever, weighing 30 kg, was presented with the complaint of choking and gagging. Abdominal radiographs showed that he had a distended stomach full of foreign material and a gastrotomy was performed. After receiving preanesthetic medication, the dog developed inspiratory stridor and during anesthetic induction, marked oropharyngeal swelling complicated tracheal intubation. During surgery a large amount of dog bedding and Dieffenbachia plant material was removed. Because of the severity of the oropharyngeal swelling, the dog required a temporary tracheostomy and treatment for an acute allergic reaction related to the Dieffenbachia ingestion. The patient was discharged after 6 days in the hospital and had no significant complications.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of successful treatment of an airway obstruction related to the toxicity of Dieffenbachia ingestion.