Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog kidney injury and venom detection after Vipera berus snakebite
By Nicolaysen, Tove V et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2024·Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathological biomarker patterns, venom detection and venom proteomics in canine Vipera berus envenomation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in after being bitten by a common European adder (Vipera berus), which can cause serious health issues like kidney injury. The vet monitored the dog’s blood and urine for signs of damage, finding elevated levels of certain proteins that could indicate mild kidney injury, but thankfully, the dog did not show severe kidney problems. They also tested a new method to detect snake venom in the dog's urine, which proved to be effective for up to 24 hours after the bite. Overall, the dog received treatment and was closely monitored, showing no major complications from the envenomation.
People also search for: dog snake bite treatment · symptoms of dog kidney injury · how to treat snake venom in dogs
Abstract
Vipera berus (V. berus) bites are associated with high morbidity, including kidney injury, in dogs. Although antivenom is often used and perceived effective to treat this type of snakebite, it is costly and associated with adverse events and specific diagnostics for this type of snakebite are lacking. We sought to improve diagnostics in V. berus envenomation by using currently available tools, including evaluating urinary albumin as a biomarker for snakebite-associated kidney injury. Additionally, we planned to adapt a method from human medicine for venom detection in clinical samples from bitten dogs and describe the composition of Norwegian V. berus venom. Serum biochemical analytes and urine albumin (ELISA) were measured in samples collected at 24 hours and two weeks after bite in 29 envenomated dogs. An adapted ELISA was applied to detect venom in urine and plasma collected from 25 cases between presentation and 24 hours after bite, using a commercial antivenom as the capture and detection antibody. Proteomic analysis of venom collected from 11 V. berus was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Elevated serum C-reactive protein, creatine kinase, and aspartate aminotransferase were common for the case group. Although no case dogs showed acute kidney injury with azotemia and/or reduced urine output, elevated urinary albumin concentrations may indicate early or mild kidney injury in some case dogs. The venom ELISA detected positive signals in both plasma and urine for up to 24 hours after bite. However, with false positives detected in plasma, urine seemed to be the most appropriate body fluid for this assay. The venom proteome identified L-amino acid oxidases as the dominant component. In conclusion, serum biochemical and urinary albumin analyses are useful tools for evaluating canine V. berus envenomation. The venom ELISA is proposed as a promising tool for studies of V. berus envenomation and future diagnostic test development. Venom from the studied Norwegian V. berus was shown to differ considerably from previous reports from other countries, implying geographical variation in composition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39577742/