Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal anatoxin-a poisoning causing seizures in North American dogs
By Puschner, Birgit et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2008·University of California, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Diagnosis of anatoxin-a poisoning in dogs from North America.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs in California and three dogs in Ontario tragically died after swimming in water contaminated with a toxin from blue-green algae called anatoxin-a. Within an hour of exposure, the dogs showed severe neurological symptoms, including seizures, and unfortunately did not survive. This type of poisoning is rare but becoming more common due to increasing algae blooms in North America. Testing confirmed the presence of the toxin in the dogs' stomach contents, highlighting the need for awareness about the dangers of swimming in contaminated water.
People also search for: dog seizures after swimming · blue-green algae poisoning in dogs · anatoxin-a symptoms in dogs
Abstract
Anatoxin-a, a toxin produced by several genera of blue-green algae, is considered a potent neurotoxin. Ingestion of water contaminated with the toxin results in acute neurological signs and often death. This report describes fatal cases of anatoxin-a ingestion in 6 dogs, with confirmation of anatoxin-a exposure by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS/MS). In 1 outbreak, 3 dogs developed seizures and died within an hour after swimming in a river in California, while the other outbreak involved 3 dogs that died within 1 hour after swimming in a pond in Ontario. Anatoxin-a poisoning is rarely reported in dogs as a cause of acute neurological signs and death. However, increased occurrences of blue-green algae blooms in North America make this neurotoxin an important consideration in the diagnosis of sudden death associated with environmental water exposure. This brief communication reports on the isolation and detection of anatoxin-a from environmental water sources and the stomach contents of North American dogs dying of acute neurotoxicosis. This demonstrates the first documented cases of anatoxin-a poisoning in dogs in North America and the importance of LC-MS/MS/MS in identifying neurotoxins responsible for sudden death in cases of suspected blue-green algae toxicosis; especially those cases showing no gross or histological lesions.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18182518/