Management of the poisoned large animal Flashcards
Differences in Poisoning in large animals compared to small
- Not dealing with individuals, dealing with groups (Exception: horses may sometime be alone)
- Exposure is often unknown
First contact with large animal case
- Animal is sick or very commonly under performing
- History of exposure is rare
- Owner commonly suspects poisoning
-they know they got out
-neighbour poisoned them
Treating a toxicity case
- Presentation- define case
- History
-diet and water
-medications
-potential exposures - Physical exams
-may include PM
-sample collection (tissues, food, water) - Problem list
- Differentials
- Diagnostic testing
Causes of disease
What is blindness in large animals linked to?
-lead
-thiamin deficiency
-sulphates
-vit A deficiency
-Bracken
What is zonal skin disease linked with?
-liver toxins= almost always a plant
What is sudden death linked with?
-blue green algae
-salt poisoning
What is bleeding linked to?
-sweet clover
What is an extremity injury linked with?
Ergot
What is respiratory disease linked with?
3-methyl indol poisoning
Why should you never jump to toxicity straight away?
- potential for owner to start blaming others
- Sometimes owners just see money= legal settlements
- Often malnutrition is more common
Issues with Diagnostic testing of poisoning
- Very difficult! Don’t have many specific tests
-Exception: lead - Poison is now gone. eg. Animal goes into heart failure several days after toxin digestion
Ways you can confirm poisoning
- Physiologic diagnosis
-use other physiological aspects to determine poisons
-eg. test liver or muscle enzymes to determine amount of damage - Response to treatment
-try treatment and see if it works
eg. amprolium poisoning.. give thiamin and animal gets better then likely that
Toxicity testing
Very difficult; need to know what toxin you are looking for to be able to test for it
*no toxicity screening available
Approach to toxication cases
- Stabilize animal
- Prevent further exposure
- Decontamination
- Supportive care
- Give antidote if possible
What do you need to know if there is a known exposure?
- What is it?
- How much?
- When?
- How much does the animal weigh? … dose/kg
- Are their any signs of illness?
How do horses often present to you?
-companion animals but not monitored the same way as pets
-commonly just present as sick
-tend to be individuals
How do livestock often present to you?
-multiple animals; minimal supervision
-present as sick individuals or herd outbreaks
Outcomes for triage
- euthanasia
- treatment
- unaffected- may need further testing to confirm
What need to be taken into account during triage?
-severity of disease
-value of animals
-cost of treatment
-welfare considerations
-public safety and food animals
Ways to prevent further exposure?
-move animals
-change water source
-switch feed
Ways to decontaminate
- Wash
- Purgatives
-stomach lavage (rumenotomy) but will empty in an hour
-mineral oil
-activated charcoal
-change gut pH
**Wear PPE, but be aware that they are all unlikely to work
Potential supportive care
Usually just need to give it time!
-simple food
-fresh water
-NSAIDs
-Rest
-Fluids (oral or IV)
-Antidotes (RARE and sometimes hard to get enough of it)
What environmental samples can be collected? How?
-Water
-Food- difficult; toxins may be lying in only parts of the feed
-supplements
Put in jam jars or zip lock bags
Legal implications of sampling
Need to ensure that the samples collected are representative
-get samples of convenience
-understand quantity
-history of deliveries
Post mortems
-Check for any signs of disease
-Collect samples for histology
-Frozen samples: liver, kidney, gut contents
Paperwork of toxin cases
Potential for use in legal cases
-document and take photos
-ask for advice
