Feline permethrin toxicity: Retrospective study of 42 cases

Abstract

Forty-two cases of feline permethrin toxicity treated at a referral hospital in Sydney, Australia were retrospectively reviewed. In most cases canine permethrin spot-on (PSO) flea products had been directly applied to affected cats. Most presented during summer and there was an increase in cases during the 2007/2008 period. Clinical signs included; tremors/muscle fasciculations (86%), twitches (41%), hyperaesthesia (41%), seizures (33%), pyrexia (29%), ptyalism (24%), ataxia (24%), mydriasis (19%) and temporary blindness (12%). Treatment involved decontamination, anticonvulsants and supportive care. Methocarbamol was not used. Complications occurred in 33% of cats and included: hypothermia (29%), electrolyte abnormalities (26%), aspiration pneumonia (12%), hypoproteinaemia (12%), anaemia (5%), apnoea (7%), respiratory arrest (5%), cardiorespiratory arrest (2%), pleural effusion (2%), urinary tract infection (2%) and corneal ulceration (2%). One cat was euthanased. Feline permethrin toxicity may result in severe clinical signs requiring intensive treatment. Despite prominent label warnings, cases of feline permethrin toxicity continue to occur in Australia and may be fatal.

Treatment of a case of feline baclofen toxicosis with intravenous lipid therapy

“…In a case report of baclofen toxicosis in a dog treated with ILE, the duration of hospitalisation was 48 hours (Bates and others 2013) which compares favourably with case reports of dogs treated with either supportive treatment alone (Hecht and others 1998) or with haemodialysis (Scott and others 2007, Torre and others 2008) that reported hospitalisation times of four to five days. A similar trend has been reported with permethrin toxicosis in cats in which the median duration of hospitalisation in cats treated with ILE was 16 hours (Hawort and Smart 2012, Muentener and others 2013, DeGroot 2014) compared to two days for cats treated with supportive treatment alone (Boland and Angles 2010). Unfortunately, there is currently no data available for the duration of hospitalisation in cases of feline baclofen toxicosis treated with supportive treatment alone.…”

Epidemiological study (2006–2012) on the poisoning of small animals by human and veterinary drugs

“…Cats were particularly prone to exposure to permethrin to which this species is particularly sensitive (Sutton and others 2007, Dymond and Swift 2008, Anadon and others 2009, Boland and Angles 2010, Malik and others 2010, Siroka and Svobodova 2013), alone or in combination with imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid with a relatively low risk in non-target organism (Ensley 2012), and three fatal outcomes were recorded. Imidacloprid was the most common culprit of fatal cat ­poisoning and accounted for numerous incidents of accidental exposure (12 calls).…”

Safety of Permethrin and Pyriproxyfen in Dogs Treated With VetGuard Plus®

“…Permethrin is highly toxic to cats and the toxicity often occurs following exposure to a highly concentrated (45-65%) spoton permethrin product designed for canines, either by direct application, grooming, or being in close contact with recently treated dogs [18,29]. Clinical signs may include tremors, muscle fasciculations, twitches, seizures, ataxia, mydriasis, temporary blindness, and death [30]. Based on the toxicity data of permethrin (oral LD 50 in rats 430-4000 mg/kg and in mice 540-2690 mg/kg; and dermal LD 50 in rabbits >2000 mg/kg) and of pyriproxyfen (oral and dermal LD 50 in rats >5000 mg/kg and >2000 mg/kg, respectively), findings of the present investigation indicated a high level of safety of VetGuard Plus® as a topical ectoparasiticide.…”