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Lantana Toxicity in Dogs
Lantana camara is a popular flowering plant used in gardens and landscaping throughout warm climates. Despite its attractive flowers, all parts — especially the unripe berries and leaves — are toxic to dogs. The toxins cause liver damage and a condition called hepatogenous photosensitization.
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⚡ Immediate Actions
- 1Call your vet immediately
- 2Call ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 if your vet is unavailable
- 3Note which parts of the plant were eaten and how much
- 4Do not induce vomiting without veterinary guidance
- 5Keep your dog out of direct sunlight to reduce photosensitization risk
Symptoms & Timeline
Gastrointestinal (1–6 hours)
Lantadene A and B are absorbed from the GI tract and transported via the portal circulation to the liver, where they initially cause direct irritation to biliary epithelial cells. The early GI symptoms reflect both mucosal irritation from plant material and early bile duct damage triggering nausea reflexes.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
Systemic (24–72 hours)
Lantadenes damage the bile canaliculi and intrahepatic bile ducts, causing cholestatic liver disease — bile cannot flow out normally and backs up into liver tissue. The liver fails to excrete phylloerythrin (a chlorophyll metabolite), which accumulates in the bloodstream and deposits in the skin where UV light converts it to a phototoxic compound, causing severe sunburn reactions in lightly-pigmented areas.
- Jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin)
- Weakness and lethargy
- Liver enlargement
- Photosensitivity (skin redness in sunlight)
Severe
Extensive cholestatic injury progresses to hepatocellular necrosis and fulminant liver failure. With the liver's synthetic and metabolic capacity severely compromised, clotting factors fail (causing bleeding), and ammonia accumulates (causing hepatic encephalopathy and neurological collapse).
- Liver failure
- Collapse
- Bloody stool or urine
How Lantana (Lantana camara) Affects Dogs
Lantana contains pentacyclic triterpenoids (lantadene A and B), which damage bile ducts in the liver and cause cholestatic liver disease. This leads to hepatogenous photosensitization, where the damaged liver fails to process phylloerythrin (a metabolite of chlorophyll). Phylloerythrin accumulates in the skin and causes severe sunburn-like reactions when exposed to UV light.
What Your Vet Will Do at the Clinic
Lantana treatment combines decontamination with specific photosensitization management — a combination not commonly seen in other plant poisonings. After vomiting and activated charcoal, the dog is immediately placed in a dimly lit environment away from all sunlight. Sunlight exposure while phylloerythrin is accumulating in the skin can cause severe burns to the muzzle, ears, and any unpigmented skin within hours. Liver function tests are run at presentation and every 24 hours — ALT, AST, GGT, and bilirubin track the progress of cholestatic injury and hepatocellular damage. IV fluids support the hepatocytes under stress. Choleretics may be used to encourage bile flow. Most mild cases recover over 3–5 days; severe cases with liver failure have a guarded prognosis.
Step-by-step protocol:
- 1Induced vomiting within 2 hours of ingestion if dog is alert
- 2Activated charcoal to reduce absorption of lantadene triterpenoids
- 3IV fluids to support liver function and maintain hydration
- 4Liver enzyme monitoring (ALT, AST, bilirubin, GGT) every 24 hours
- 5Keep dog strictly out of direct sunlight to prevent photosensitization skin damage
- 6Supportive care for 3–5 days; re-check liver values before discharge
Frequently Asked Questions
Are lantana berries more dangerous than the leaves?
Unripe lantana berries are considered more toxic than leaves and flowers. Ripe black berries are less toxic but still a concern. The entire plant should be kept away from dogs.
How long after ingestion do symptoms appear?
GI symptoms can appear within 2–6 hours. Liver-related symptoms and photosensitization typically develop over 24–72 hours after ingestion.
Will my dog recover from lantana poisoning?
Prognosis depends on the amount ingested and how quickly treatment begins. Mild cases with early treatment often recover. Severe cases with liver failure have a worse prognosis.
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