Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Environmental Toxic Exposures Using Companion Animals as an Indicator of Human Toxicity: A Case Report and Discussion.
- Journal:
- The Journal of emergency medicine
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Beck, Andrew C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Emergency Medicine
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
This study discusses how pets, like dogs and cats, can show signs of toxic exposure before humans do, acting as early warning signals for potential health risks. The researchers looked at cases where pets were affected by inhaling mercury, which led to serious health issues in their human owners. By reviewing many articles, they found that pets can display symptoms from various toxins, such as mercury and lead, before humans show any signs of illness. Recognizing these symptoms in pets can help veterinarians and doctors identify and treat toxic exposures in humans early on. Overall, the findings suggest that monitoring pets for signs of toxicity can be crucial for preventing serious health problems in people.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hundreds of years ago, humans realized that animals could be used as surrogate indicators of toxic environmental exposures, as a tool to measure risk to human health. The classic example is coal miners bringing canaries into coal mines. The respiratory rate and metabolism of the animal resulted in toxic signs of injurious gases in the environment before humans were injured. Occasionally, modern diagnosis of cryptic toxic exposures can be aided by the discovery of such features in the history. OBJECTIVES: We introduce this review using a case of inhalational mercury toxicity involving humans and companion animals-household dogs and cats. The death of exposed pets prior to the mounting of symptoms in the exposed humans was advance warning of the near-fatal presentation to come. Our objective was to review and characterize the state of the literature on companion animals as sentinel species. DISCUSSION: We reviewed 748 articles, which resulted in 25 selected for inclusion in this narrative review. We detail examples of companion animals (household dogs, cats, and birds) affected by toxic exposures in acute and chronic ways-acting as harbingers of impending human toxicity in acute or chronic settings. Mercury, lead, Teflon, herbicide, and asbestos exposures present with predictable signs and symptoms in companion animals prior to presenting in humans. Identifying the toxidrome in a companion animal allows for subclinical identification of exposure and consequences in the human that permits early treatment and intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Companion animals, when similarly exposed to toxic substances as humans regarding route, dose, and chronicity often mount symptoms and signs in advance of humans. This phenomenon allows the clinician to identify occult exposure, test, and treat while human disease is mild or still subclinical.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32532580/