Fatal metaldehyde poisoning in a dog confirmed by gas chromatography
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2020-05-15
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Background: Metaldehyde is a toxic pesticide used mainly as a molluscicide, responsible for intoxication and
deaths in both humans and animals. Accidental exposure to metaldehyde in dogs is considered rare, but severe.
Data concerning clinical and veterinary forensic toxicology are largely incomplete, especially regarding case reports
in dogs. The present work reports a complete and detailed description of a case from the history, clinical evolution,
pathological exams and toxicological diagnosis in an accidental case of metaldehyde poisoning in dog.
Case presentation: An eleven-month-old, 3.0 kg, male German Spitz was presented for emergency care with acute
vomiting and seizures 3 hours after suspected accidental ingestion of commercial molluscicide containing 3%
metaldehyde (Lesmax®). The animal was in lateral recumbency and showed stuporous mentation, salivation, tonicclonic status epilepticus, systemic tremors, bilateral miosis, absent palpebral, corneal, oculovestibular and gag
reflexes, severely depressed spinal reflexes, dyspnea and tachycardia. Despite treatment, the patient progressed to
comatose mentation and died. Necropsy examination revealed discrete lesions in the liver and central nervous
system, while stomach examination revealed content of feed, activated charcoal and blue-green granules,
compatible to the commercial formula of metaldehyde. Histology examination revealed extensive hemorrhage and
severe centrolobular necrosis of the liver and tumefaction of Kupfer cells. Brain samples showed discrete
hemorrhage and hyperemia. In order to confirm the diagnosis, samples from feces, stomach content, spleen, liver,
heart, kidneys and brain were submitted gas chromatography analysis. Results confirmed the presence of
metaldehyde in all samples. We describe clinicopathological abnormalities of a fatal case of metaldehyde poisoning
in a dog, as well as postmortem diagnosis using gas chromatography.
Conclusion: Metaldehyde poisoning is rarely reported, since the diagnosis is often difficult and the notifications
scarce. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing clinical signs, pathological findings and chromatographic
diagnosis. This report aims to contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of metaldehyde intoxication, to
further explore veterinary forensic toxicology diagnosis.
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Intoxication, Snail bait, Toxicologic pathology, Forensic toxicology
Citação
BOTELHO, Ana Flávia Machado et al. Fatal metaldehyde poisoning in a dog confirmed by gas chromatography. BMC Veterinary Research, London, v. 16, e139, 2020. DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02348-w. Disponível em: https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-020-02348-w. Acesso em: 17 maio 2023.