Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal aflatoxin poisoning in 50 dogs from commercial food
By Bruchim, Y et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2012·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Accidental fatal aflatoxicosis due to contaminated commercial diet in 50 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Fifty dogs were brought to the vet after eating contaminated food that contained harmful aflatoxins, leading to serious health issues. Many of these dogs showed signs like lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and jaundice. Blood tests revealed significant liver damage and clotting problems. Unfortunately, 68% of the affected dogs did not survive, with those showing severe liver dysfunction and low protein levels being at the highest risk. The study highlights the dangers of contaminated dog food and the urgent need for pet owners to be aware of the food they provide.
People also search for: dog vomiting after eating · aflatoxin poisoning in dogs · dog food contamination symptoms
Abstract
Aflatoxins, produced by Aspergillus spp., are toxic contaminants of stored grain. This study describes 50 dogs presented with foodborne aflatoxicosis. Common clinical signs included lethargy (78%), vomiting (76%), anorexia (74%), icterus (66%), depression (66%), melena (60%), haematuria (36%) and diarrhoea (36%). Common laboratory abnormalities included increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase (86%), alkaline phosphatase (84%) and alanine aminotransferase (79%), hypoantithrombinaemia (86%), prolonged prothrombin (PT, 82%) and activated partial thromboplastin times (aPTT, 80%), hyperbilirubinaemia (73%), hypocholesterolaemia (60%) hypoalbuminemia (47%) and thrombocytopenia (42%). Non-survivors had longer PT and aPTT and lower antithrombin (P<0.001) at presentation compared to survivors (23.8s vs.10.5; 37.9 vs.17.6s and 5% vs. 54%, respectively). Hyperbilirubinaemia (>56.6 μmol/L) and albumin concentration <32.5 g/L at presentation were risk factors for mortality (P<0.0001). Common complications included disseminated intravascular coagulation (58%), hepatic encephalopathy (35%) and acute kidney injury (4%). The mortality rate was 68%, suggesting that dogs with aflatoxicosis have poor prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21875729/