Page 85 - Veterinary Toxicology, Basic and Clinical Principles, 3rd Edition

52 SECTION | I General

VetBooks.ir pected poisonings also detected several cases of big issue in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom
In Italy, a retrospective study based on calls of sus-
and has alarmingly increased in other European countries
such as Belgium, France, and Italy where slug pellets are
pyrethrins-pyrethoids, organophosphates and neonicoti-
noids (imidacloprid and acetamiprid) potential exposures used extensively, not only in farmland but also in home
(Caloni et al., 2016). gardens (Modra and Svobodova, 2009; Berny et al.,
Organochlorine insecticides such as DDT were banned 2010a; Bates et al., 2012). Cases of metaldehyde poison-
many years ago due to their persistency in the environ- ing involving cattle and pigs having access to stored bags
ment and accumulation in the fatty tissues of organisms of slug pellets have been recorded in the United Kingdom
(Guitart, 2012). However, failure to meet handling regula- (Sharpe and Livesey, 2005). At least one case of iron poi-
tions of toxic substances and/or waste materials led to cat- soning has been diagnosed in France in a dog that
tle poisoning by DDT (Modra and Svobodova, 2009). ingested over 250 g of iron-phosphate based mollusci-
cide. The dog displayed very severe gastroenteritis, fol-
lowed by neurological disorders leading eventually to
Rodenticides
death.
The presence of rodenticides and more specific second- Occasionally, the herbicides paraquat and glyphosate
generation anticoagulants was analytically confirmed in have been involved in cases of companion and farm ani-
the majority of suspected companion animal poisoning mal poisonings in Greece, Spain, France, and Italy (Berny
cases in Italy and to a lesser extent in Belgium, Spain, et al., 2010a; Cortinovis et al., 2015a; Caloni et al.,
and France (Berny et al., 2010a). Indeed, a study in 2016). Other herbicides and fungicides have been more
France between 2004 and 2007 showed that dogs were infrequently associated in the poisoning of companion
involved in cases of anticoagulant poisoning (over 60%) animals in the European Union.
more than other domestic species (Berny et al., 2010b).
Similarly, in Austria and the Czech Republic, anticoagu- OIL
lant rodenticides were recorded as a significant cause of
acute poisoning in dogs after deliberate abuse or misuse The two most recent major oil spills in Europe occurred
(Wang et al., 2007; Modra and Svobodova, 2009). on the Atlantic coast: the Erika (France) and the Prestige
Additionally, anticoagulant rodenticides rank among the (Spain, France, and Portugal) accidents, in December
rare but nevertheless reportable causes of hemorrhage and 1999 and in November 2002, respectively. The Erika oil
epistaxis in cats and dogs (Kohn et al., 2003; Mylonakis spill resulted in over 63,000 birds being stranded on bea-
et al., 2008). Strychnine, although banned in the majority ches, while the Prestige oil spill affected between 115,000
of EU countries, is still reported as the most common and 230,000 birds, of which only 23,181 could be col-
form of rodenticide toxicity in Greece, Spain, France, and lected (Guitart et al., 2010b). Interestingly, March 2017
certain regions of Italy (Amorena et al., 2004; Berny marks the 50th anniversary of the world’s first major
et al., 2010a). supertanker disaster, the Torrey Canyon, which affected
Hares and rabbits were also found to be significantly and heavily polluted the coasts of southern United
present in cases of anticoagulant exposure and account for Kingdom, northwestern France, and the Channel Islands.
almost 50% of the submitted cases in France, followed by It is remembered because the use of dispersants, deter-
scavengers and predators of poisoned rats (Berny et al., gents and other chemicals, exacerbated the ecological
2010b). In the same country, two polecats and an damage of the oil spill.
American mink were also reported poisoned by bromadio-
lone during a screening process aimed at identifying the FEED-ASSOCIATED TOXICANTS
reason behind the decline in the endangered European
mink population (Fournier-Chambrillon et al., 2004). The As far as companion animals are concerned, feed-related
IREC in Spain, and the Predatory Bird Monitoring poisoning incidents reported in the last decade involve the
Scheme (PBMS) and the WIIS in the United Kingdom, accidental intake of chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions,
have also identified anticoagulant rodenticides as a com- cannabis products, and ethanol by dogs (Guitart et al.,
mon contaminant of wildlife and a cause of mortality 2008; Sutton et al., 2009; Berny et al., 2010a; Gunning
(Sa ´nchez-Barbudo et al., 2012b; Sharp et al., 2013). et al., 2010; Fitzgerald et al., 2013; Kuhne and Meisinger,
2014; Bates et al., 2015). Dogs may also be prone to the
ingestion of theobromine from garden mulch made of
Other Pesticides
cacao bean shells.
Metaldehyde is usually found in pellets used for mollusci- Current trends in feed-related livestock poisoning are
cide treatment and that are palatable and easily digested related to the accidental presence of industrial chemicals/
by animals. Dog and cat poisoning by metaldehyde is a contaminants or to cross-contamination of feed batches