Week 16: Toxic Plants, Insecticides, and ASCI 101 Presentations

Week 16 has officially come to an end and it is absolutely wild to think that we are just two weeks away from finishing the semester! c/o 2027 is also two weeks away from being 12.5% of a dogtor, but who is counting anyway?

This week started off with a discussion on clinical pharmacology which was followed by two lectures on toxic plants. It was really interesting to learn about all of the different toxic principles that are present in beautiful plants that we walk by every day.

Churro playing in the leaves and listening to me tell him not to eat them because basically every plant is toxic ;)

Here are a few facts about plants that you may find interesting...

All above-ground parts of the avocado (Persea americana) are toxic and their clinical signs vary between species. Birds, rabbits and goats will exhibit cardiac signs or acute death while cattle, horses and goats will develop mastitis and horses will develop colic, diarrhea, and neck edema. Long story short, keep avocados and all parts of the plant away from animals!

Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia sequine) is a common houseplant that has insoluble calcium oxalates that act as little barbs so when the animal chews on the plant those barbs are taken in and cause hypersalivation, head shaking, and causes the animal to look miserable.

Red maple (Acer rubreum) leaves become toxic once they are wilted and dried and remain toxic for about one month. The toxicant causes oxidant damage to the red blood cells leading to hemolytic anemia. Strangely enough, the green leaves are not toxic!

Corn Lilies (Veratrum spp.) cause teratogenic and neurotoxic effects and the alkaloid Cyclopamine interferes with intercellular signaling during embryogenesis causing the animal to be born with a cyclopes appearance! This toxicant has to be ingested around the 14th day of gestation for the cool cyclops effect, if it is later (day 19-21) death occurs, and if it is even later (day 28-32) the animal will have limb defects or tracheal stenosis (day 31-33).

The toxicant in Castor bean (Ricinus communis) is lectin/toxalbumin which leads to the inhibition of cellular protein synthesis. It is one of the most toxic compounds of plant origin and 2-20 seeds can kill a human!

If you are interested in seeing what these awesome plants look like so that you and your pets can avoid them, click HERE!

That afternoon wrapped up with an ethics discussion on veterinary client interactions. This was a great discussion because so many problems can be avoided with the use of clear communication. I think that it is easy for a lot of new vets to practice communicating in a way that is difficult for the average person to understand and this leads to some disconnect with the client.

Tuesday started off with another pharmacology discussion that tied together all of the concepts that we had covered during the past week and a half. The remaining lectures were on neurochemistry and insecticide toxicity. These lectures were super interesting and applicable because these insecticides are commonly used in veterinary medicine and I had never known their actual mechanism of action. Here is a little breakdown of some common insecticides and their MOA.

Organophosphates and monomethyl carbamates: Acetylcholine Cholinesterase Inhibitors

-Mipafox

DDT, Pyrethrums and Pyrethroids: Voltage-gated sodium channel modifiers

-Chrysanthemum cinerariafolium

*Caution with felines due to their altered liver glucuronidation metabolism!!!

Nicotine and Neonicotinoids: Nicotinic cholinergic receptor modifiers

-Imidacloprid (Advocate, Advantage, Advantage Plus, Advantix II)

Chlorinated alkanes and Fipronil: Gama amino butyric acid receptor blockers

-Fluralaner (NexGard)

-Dectomax (avermectin)

-Fipronil (Frontline)

That afternoon we had our final vet Spanish class! Those 10 weeks flew by and it was so much fun being back in an environment that allowed me to practice my Spanish and be challenged by new vocabulary. I am excited to continue to practice these new terms and know that it will pay off in the future! That evening Morgan and I went to the undergraduate campus and had a mentor meet and greet with some undergrads that are interested in vet school. The session was held in a speed-dating format and we had the opportunity to talk to so many different people from a variety of background. It was awesome being able to encourage them to continue to push towards their goal of becoming a veterinarian as well as share some insight as to what vet school is actually like.

Wednesday we had two equine nutrition lectures and then had the rest of the afternoon blocked off to work on some projects as well as prepare for our upcoming midterm. I was also able to get in a nice swim and spend some quality time with Churro! Thursday began with a little review session and then the rest of the day was spent studying for the exam!

Zooming with one of the AMAZING 101 classes that I presented to!

Friday started off with our midterm and then we were free for the rest of the day. Since this was the only Friday that I didn’t have afternoon classes, I had the amazing opportunity to present to two classes and roughly 200 students at my undergrad university, Cal Poly! I Zoomed with each class for about an hour and talked to them about ways to get involved as well as how the vet school application process works. I was also able to share a few tips and tricks for tackling undergrad and handling different transitions in life. I remember being in undergrad and being absolutely terrified about the whole process so it was really fun being able to be honest with all of them and help take away some of the fear associated with the unknown. Having the ability to talk to others about something that I am so passionate about and help them get excited about their future is so special and words cannot express how grateful I am to have opportunities like this!

Post 8 miler with the best boy!

Saturday started off with a long run with Churro at the arboretum followed by a day of getting a jump start of some of our final projects and labs. It was nice having a weekend where I wasn’t traveling or booked with other activities! Sunday started off with a nice breakfast with my cousin and then the rest of the day was spent getting things done around the house with Churro!

Hey look, that's my cousin :)

Quote of the week: “Nothing can be done and the animal has to be destroyed...” – Dr. Rumbeiha while discussing the toxic effects of Juglans nigra.