α‐Chloralose poisoning in a cat

Abstract

A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.For more information, please contact eprints@nottingham.ac.uk TITLE Alpha-chloralose poisoning in a cat SUMMARY A five-year-old domestic cat with acute unexplainable neurologic symptoms was presented for necropsy. Clinically, the cat showed an acute onset of ataxia, depressed mentation and continuous twitching/seizure activity in the morning after having been outside overnight. Despite immediate treatment, the cat progressed within twenty-four hours to a comatose state, opisthotonus and severe miosis unresponsive to light. Given a poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Gross findings were disappointing and consisted of a non-specific lung oedema and congested lungs and spleen. Surprisingly, within the stomach and intestines, fragments of cockshafers were found. Histologic examination confirmed the gross findings and additionally showed evidence of mild brain oedema, but failed to identify a cause for the severe clinical symptoms. In a final attempt to solve the case, a urine sample was tested for toxic substances and it was found to contain a significant amount of alphachloralose. This finding was unexpected. BACKGROUNDThe cause of disease was unexpected in this case. Alpha-chloralose (AC) is used within and outside the UK to kill or immobilize pest animals. Cases of accidental AC poisoning in people are reported, whereas AC intoxication is only poorly described in pet animals. To the authors' knowledge, this report describes the first case of chloralose intoxication in a cat within the UK. Chloralose poisoning should be considered as differential diagnosis in cases with unexplainable neurological symptoms in animals and men.

Development and Validation of a Quantitative UHPLC–MS-MS Method for the Determination of Alpha-Chloralose in Feline Blood and Application on Blood Samples Collected from Cats with Symptoms of Alpha-Chloralose Poisoning

“…and Grau-Roma et al. on feline cases can be attributed to AC poisoning ( 2–6 , 9–11 ). As AC was detected in all blood samples from the 20 cats, the diagnosis was confirmed.…”

“…( 5 ) described 12 confirmed cases and 1 suspected case and Grau-Roma et al. described 1 case ( 9 ). With so few scientific publications available, knowledge and awareness can be expected to be low in veterinary practitioners.…”

“…AC is no longer used clinically either in veterinary or in human clinical practice. It is however still used as a rodenticide and as an anesthetic agent to sedate laboratory animals ( 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ), and peer-reviewed case reports summarizing the clinical symptoms of AC poisoning in humans and several animal species, including human cases with lethal outcomes, are available ( 3–6 , 9–11 ). Together, the data in such reports describe a range of neurological symptoms similar to what are described in older experimental studies evaluating the toxic effects of AC.…”

“…Behavioral changes are mainly reported in animals, including cats and rodents. In individuals where lethargy is present or consciousness is lost, bradycardia, hypotension, bradypnea and hypothermia can occur and if not treated or reversed in time contribute to a lethal outcome with cardiac failure and respiratory failure ( 2–6 , 9–11 ).…”

“…( 13 ), in tissue samples from poisoned ducks by Allender and Keegan ( 14 ), in urine from a deceased cat by Grau-Roma et al. ( 9 ) and in human urine in intoxication cases by Thomas et al. and Bergrath et al.…”