Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
French Bulldog lung damage after charcoal aspiration causing
By Caudill, Megan N et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2019·Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Chronic granulomatous pneumonia and lung rupture secondary to aspiration of activated charcoal in a French Bulldog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old spayed female French Bulldog was brought in for breathing problems after she accidentally inhaled activated charcoal given for a suspected overdose of trazodone. The vet found fluid in her chest that contained black particles from the charcoal, indicating aspiration pneumonia and a lung rupture. To treat her condition, the vet surgically removed parts of her damaged lungs. After surgery, the dog was diagnosed with severe pneumonia caused by the charcoal aspiration. The treatment helped her recover from this serious condition.
People also search for: French Bulldog breathing problems · aspiration pneumonia treatment · trazodone overdose in dogs
Abstract
A 4-year-old, spayed female French Bulldog was presented for respiratory distress and suspected aspiration pneumonia after oral administration of activated charcoal for possible ingestion of a suspected toxic dose of trazodone. The patient had a moderate volume of pleural effusion, which contained free and intracellular black particulate matter consistent with charcoal. Due to presumed charcoal aspiration with subsequent lung rupture, the right middle and right caudal lung lobes were surgically removed. Histology revealed abundant black debris consistent with charcoal and severe granulomatous inflammation. Based on the clinical, gross, and histologic findings, a diagnosis of severe, chronic, locally extensive, aspiration pneumonia and lung rupture with secondary pleuritis and mediastinitis due to charcoal aspiration was made. Aspiration pneumonia is the main complication of activated charcoal administration, which can incite extensive, granulomatous inflammation in the respiratory tract. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report describing the cytologic and histologic findings associated with inadvertent charcoal aspiration in a veterinary species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30924544/