Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A review of moxidectin overdose cases in equines from 1998 through 2000.
- Journal:
- Veterinary and human toxicology
- Year:
- 2002
- Authors:
- Khan, Safdar A et al.
- Affiliation:
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report looks at cases of moxidectin overdose in horses from 1998 to 2000. Moxidectin is a medication used to treat parasites, and in this study, five horses showed serious symptoms like being very tired, having trouble breathing, seizures, and weakness after taking too much of it. The doses that caused these symptoms ranged from 1.0 to 5.1 mg per kilogram of body weight, while four other horses that took lower doses did not show any signs of poisoning. Most affected horses were young foals under four months old, which are more vulnerable to this type of poisoning. Fortunately, all four horses that were treated recovered well with supportive care and other treatments.
Abstract
Moxidectin is a macrolide endectocide available as a 2% equine oral gel in the US. This report presents clinical signs of moxidectin toxicosis and its treatment in equines as reported to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) from January 1998 to December 2000. Nine cases of moxidectin overdose in equines occurred: 5 had signs of toxicosis such as coma, dyspnea, depression, ataxia, tremors, seizures, or weakness. The approximate dose of moxidectin at which these signs were observed ranged from 1.0 to 5.1 mg/kg. The 4 equines that ingested moxidectin between 0.9 mg/kg to 1.7 mg/kg did not show signs of toxicosis. Clinical signs were seen within 6-22 h and lasted for 36-168 h. Only 1/5 clinical equines was an adult, the others were < 4 month of age. This study supports earlier report that young foals are more susceptible to moxidectin toxicosis. All 4 equines with known outcomes recovered with treatment that included decontamination, seizure control, thermoregulation, fluid therapy, and supportive care.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12136974/