Dog and Cat Exposures to Hazardous Substances Reported to the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory: 2009–2012

Abstract

Pet dogs and cats in the USA are commonly exposed to potentially hazardous substances found in domestic environments. Requests for assistance and advice received by the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory regarding exposures in dogs and cats to substances perceived by their caretakers to be potentially harmful included 1,616 phone calls, over a 3-year period covering 2009-2012. Enquiries occurred more often during summer. Dogs were involved in 84.7 % of calls and cats in 15.3 %. Oral exposures were reported in 95.5 % of calls, dermal exposures in 3.7 % of calls, inhalation exposures in 0.6 % of calls, and parenteral exposures in 0.2 % of calls. Therapeutic drugs were the most frequently reported substances, accounting for 35.4 % of calls, followed by household chemicals (15.5 %); foods (14.8 %); pesticides (13.9 %); plants (12 %), industrial chemicals and fertilizers (3.6 %); cosmetics and personal care products (2.8 %); and animal, insect, and microorganism toxins (2.1 %). Although requests for information or assistance are not a measure of poisoning incidence, it can provide insight regarding relative exposure rates, help to identify changing exposure trends and emerging exposures, and reflect the public concern regarding actual or apparent harmful exposures in pets.

Poisoning of dogs and cats by drugs intended for human use

“…Drugs intended for human use have accounted for~30% of reported pet poisoning in the USA McLean and Hansen, 2012;Mahdi and Van der Merwe, 2013). Similar proportions have also been reported from Europe (Curti et al, 2009;Caloni et al, 2014).…”

“…Chemical structure References Acetyl salicylic acid Salycilates Jones et al, 1992;Giuliano Albo and Nebbia, 2004;Cope et al, 2006;Berny et al, 2010;Khan and McLean, 2012;Mahdi and Van der Merwe, 2013;Caloni et al, 2014 Diclofenac Phenylacetic acids Campbell and Chapman, 2000;Khan and McLean, 2012;Caloni et al, 2014 Ibuprofen Proprionic acids Spyridakis et al, 1986;Jones et al, 1992;Poortinga and Hungerford, 1998;Campbell and Chapman, 2000;Giuliano Albo and Nebbia, 2004;Cope et al, 2006;Monaghan and Sutton, 2008;Berny et al, 2010;Khan and McLean, 2012;Mahdi and Van der Merwe, 2013;Bolfer et al, 2014;Caloni et al, 2014 Indomethacin Indole acetic acids Jones et al, 1992;Campbell and Chapman, 2000;Khan and McLean, 2012;Caloni et al, 2014 Meloxicam Oxicams Khan and McLean, 2012;Caloni et al, 2014 Naproxen Proprionic acids Campbell and Chapman, 2000;Cope et al, 2006;Khan and McLean, 2012;Caloni et al, 2014Nimesulide Sulphonamides Borku et al, 2008Caloni et al, 2014 Table 2 Cases of paracetamol (acetaminophen) ingestion reported in dogs and cats. Schlesinger, 1995;Richardson, 2000;Mariani and Fulton, 2001;…”

“…Clinical signs usually develop within 12-36 h of ingestion and include anorexia, vomiting, hypertension and renal compromise because of hypercalcaemia (Seelig, 1969;Campbell and Chapman, 2000;Fitzgerald et al, 2006). The most common causes of vitamin D toxicosis in pets are vitamin D-containing rodenticides, although enquiries about potential toxicity of pets by vitamin D as a drug intended for human use have been recorded by VPIS (Campbell and Chapman, 2000), ASPCA APCC (McLean and Hansen, 2012), the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Mahdi and Van der Merwe, 2013) and CAV (Caloni et al, 2014). According to VPIS, no ingestion of vitamin D dietary supplement resulted in clinical effects (Campbell and Chapman, 2000).…”

“…VPIS receives up to 20 enquiries per year involving ingestion of iron salts in the form of pharmaceutical agents by dogs; clinical signs developed only in a few cases and no deaths were recorded (Campbell and Chapman, 2000). Enquiries involving pets exposed to iron supplements were also recorded by ASPCA APCC (McLean and Hansen, 2012) and the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (Mahdi and Van der Merwe, 2013).…”

<b>Avaliação dos efeitos tóxicos dos carbamatos: I. Modelo experimental em ratos Wistar e comparação com a intoxicação exógena intencional em gatos e cães; II. Análise de estabilidade dos compostos e dos seus efeitos nos <i>post mortem </i>imediato e em animais exumados</b>

“…As intoxicações por praguicidas são uma realidade em todo o mundo (GRENDON;BAUM, 1994;COVACI et al, 1999;NELSON et al, 2001;SINGH et al, 2007;GIADINIS et al, 2009;KUMAR et al, 2009;CAMPELO;CALDAS, 2010), o que também inclui os animais (GRENDON;BAUM, 1994;FRAZIER et al, 1999;SPINOSA, 2007c;GIADINIS et al, 2009;DE SIQUEIRA et al, 2012;MAHDI;VAN DER MERWE, 2013). Os praguicidas carbamatos aldicarbe e carbofurano, que são potentes inibidores da enzima acetilcolinesterase e altamente tóxicos (BARON;MERRIAM, 1988;BARON, 1994;GUPTA, 1994;PROENÇA et al, 2004;ASCHNER, 2006), são comumente utilizados para intoxicar intencionalmente pessoas (NISSE et al, 2002;PROENÇA et al, 2004;REBELO et al, 2011;ZHOU et al, 2011; SAKUNTHALA TENNAKOON; KARUNARATHNA; UDUGAMPALA, 2013) e animais (FRAZIER et al, 1999;MOTAS-GUZMÁN et al, 2003;SPINOSA, 2007c;OTIENO et al, 2010;ANASTASIO;SHARP, 2011;ARNOT et al, 2011;NOVOTNÝ et al, 2011;DE SIQUEIRA et al, 2012).…”