Entire Family, Dogs Included, Poisoned by Reef Fish

Dangerous Neurotoxin Results in Severe Symptoms

MINNEAPOLIS, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Love Bug, a tiny six-pound Chihuahua, and Honey Bear, an older Pekingese, thought they were getting a special treat when they shared a grilled reef fish with their human family members. Instead, their treat turned into a trick that sent everyone to the emergency room.

"We got ahold of some reef fish from the Bahamas," explained Randy Winters, who lives with his wife Giselle in Deerfield Beach, Florida. "We grilled it up and then gave the scraps to the dogs. We feed them mostly a fresh food diet like chicken, rice and potatoes, so we thought we were giving them a treat."

It turned out the fish that Winters prepared was contaminated with ciguatoxin, which causes ciguatera poisoning. Ciguatera poisoning is the most reported marine toxin disease in the world. Ciguatoxin is a neurotoxin, which changes how your nervous system works. Ocean algae called dinoflagellates grow in and around coral reefs and produce ciguatoxin. Small fish eat the dinoflagellates. Larger fish that people eat, like grouper or snapper, then eat the tiny fish, ingesting the ciguatoxin. The toxin is harmless to the fish but is poisonous to people and pets.

"Pets are severely impacted by ingesting ciguatoxin," warned Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "If humans eat fish contaminated with ciguatoxin, however, it will affect their digestive system, nervous system and in severe cases, their cardiovascular system."

Pet Poison Helpline is a subsidiary of SafetyCall International, a recognized leader in human and animal adverse event management and regulatory compliance services. According to Dr. Ashley Brown, a senior clinical toxicologist and manager of Clinical Toxicology for human patients at SafetyCall, it is nearly impossible to know in advance if a fish is contaminated.

"What's scary about ciguatoxin is there is no change to the appearance of contaminated fish," warned Dr. Brown. "It's odorless and tasteless, making it impossible to identify easily on your own. People and animals can be affected by eating fresh or frozen fish and it is heat stable so cooking the fish does not detoxify it."

After eating the toxic fish, everyone started experiencing symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. The Winters went to the human emergency room for treatment. The dogs continued to show symptoms and were taken to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"Although ciguatera isn't typically fatal to humans, it is essential for anyone who has ingested the toxin to go to the emergency room immediately to prevent any serious complications," Dr. Schmid recommends. "Because of the small size of Love Bug and Honey Bear, the ciguatoxin impacted them far more acutely. In addition to vomiting and diarrhea, they were lethargic, and Love Bug was unable to stand, was disoriented, and had labored breathing."

Both dogs received intravenous fluids and antibiotics and were kept overnight for treatment. Because of her tiny size, Love Bug's reaction was far more severe, and she had to be placed in an oxygen chamber, given specific medications to help with her neurologic signs and was treated for several additional days. After going home, they required continued nursing care until their symptoms had fully resolved.

"Their loss of appetite was so bad that we were feeding them with syringes," Randy Winter explained. "Fortunately, the dogs' symptoms cleared up after a few weeks. Unfortunately, my wife and I had lingering neurological effects for six months. We experienced continued body aches, and reverse-sensations, meaning when I touched something cold it felt hot. We were placed on a strict diet, including no alcohol."

Symptoms can worsen or reappear when patients ingest certain food or beverages such as alcohol, nuts, or fish/fish oils.

"After the first three days following the intoxication, when the gastrointestinal symptoms finally subsided, a new set of symptoms emerged," Giselle Winters explained. "The intense body pain was overwhelming. Imagine having heavy concrete poured all over your body, making every movement a struggle. Simple tasks, like going from the bed to the bathroom, or walking to the kitchen, left me breathless."

Along with muscle and joint pain, and temperature reversal symptoms, patients have described other unique symptoms such as the feeling of loose or painful teeth, odd sensational changes that have been reported to feel like bites to your skin, and a strange metallic taste. Unfortunately, these symptoms can last for weeks to months and can be quite alarming for someone who unknowingly ingested ciguatoxin.

"If Love Bug and Honey Bear had been cats rather than dogs, they may have been able to warn their owners of the toxic danger," Dr. Schmid added. "Cats are highly sensitive to ciguatera poisoning and act as a sentinel species for human risk. Due to their high sensitivity, they will often become ill more quickly and after ingesting much smaller amounts than humans."

"My heart goes out to our furry girls, Love Bug and Honey Bear, who endured this pain without being able to express it," added Giselle Winters. "I really thought we were losing Love Bug. She was barely 3.2 pounds after the oxygen box – she lost almost 50% of her body weight. Thankfully both are back to normal. Love Bug and Honey Bear are enjoying life as usual thanks to the amazing medical treatment they received."

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

About Pet Poison Helpline 
Pet Poison Helpline®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $89 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(SM) and pethelplinePRO^(SM) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Curtis Steinhoff
Pet Poison Helpline®
(602) 300-8466
[email protected]

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SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline