Toxicology (Yr 4) Flashcards
what are the common mineral/inorganic poisonings?
lead
copper
selenium
what animals is acute lead poisoning usually seen in?
young calves (nosey and low dose needed)
what are the clinical signs of acute lead poisoning?
found dead or very sudden neurological signs (tremors, twitching, salivation, eye rolling, blindness, convulsions, opisthotonos, pupillary dilation)
what animals is subacute lead poisoning usually seen in?
adult cattle/sheep
what are the clinical signs of subacute lead poisoning?
neurological signs (dullness, anorexia, blindness, incoordination, staggering, circling, tremors, luminal atony)
what animals is chronic lead poisoning usually seen in?
lambs (access to soil high in lead)
what are the common clinical signs of chronic lead poisoning in lambs?
ill thrift with gait abnormalities
lameness and paralysis (fractures)
(abortions/poor fertility)
nephrosis is common
how can lead poisoning be diagnosed?
clinical signs
heparin levels in blood (>0.48um/L)
kidney/liver biopsy (kidney is gold standard)
milk/hair samples
what can be done to treat lead poisoning?
supportive therapy and rumenotomy
(can try chelation therapy or thiamine hydrochloride)
what should happen to the produce from animal that have lead poisoning?
16 week voluntary withdrawal
or test until parameters of heparin are at an acceptable level
what species is copper poisoning usually seen in?
sheep
when do we tend to see copper poisoning in cattle?
if they are grazed on pasture fertilised with pig manure or have access to pig feed
what are the clinical signs of copper poisoning?
sudden onset, depressed, anaemia, jaundice, haemoglobinura, ataxia, recumbency
what are the classic clinical finding on post mortem of a sheep with copper poisoning?
pale/jaundiced
pale/bronzed coloured liver
dark red/grey kidneys
dark red/black urine
what is done to treat copper poisoning?
supportive
copper antagonists (molybdenum/sulphur) - care with inducing a deficiency
what causes selenium poisoning?
excessive supplementation (some worming products contain this)
what are the clinical signs of selenium poisoning?
staggering gait, dyspnoea, tympany, colic, diarrhoea, cyanosis, death
(toxic damage to CV, respiratory and urinary system)
what are the classic post mortem findings of selenium poisoning?
subcutaneous haemorrhages
straw coloured fluid in pericardium
severe pulmonary oedema
abomasitis
intestinal/hepatic congestion
brain stem haemorrhage
how can selenium poisoning be treated?
supportive (no real treatment - entire not to over supplement)
what is the main species we see anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning in?
pigs (from eating poison or poisoned rats)
what are the clinical signs of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning?
anaemia, haemorrhages, weakness, non-pyrexic
what are the public health implications for anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning?
residues often remain in animals for a long time so these animals can’t enter the food chain
what is the pathogenesis of nitrate/nitrite poisoning?
excessive intake either cause a build up of nitrite which is then absorbed into the blood (normal levels will just be converted to ammonia and then bacterial proteins)
nitrite then converts haemoglobin to methemoglobin which cannot transport oxygen
what are the clinical signs of nitrate/nitrite poisoning?
(due to lack of oxygen) anoxia, cyanosis, tachypnoea, weak/rapid pulse