Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bleeding problems in seven cats after suspected rat poison exposure
By Kohn, B et al.Ā·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgeryĀ·2003Ā·Clinic for Small Animals, GermanyĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Haemorrhage in seven cats with suspected anticoagulant rodenticide intoxication.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Seven adult cats were brought to the vet with bleeding issues, suspected to be caused by eating anticoagulant rodenticide (a type of poison). The cats showed various symptoms, including lethargy, loss of appetite, and difficulty breathing, along with signs of bleeding like bruising and blood in their stool. The vet confirmed the poisoning through blood tests and treated all the cats with vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting, and some received blood transfusions. Thankfully, all the cats improved, with their blood clotting times returning to normal within a few days.
People also search for: cat bleeding symptoms Ā· anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning treatment Ā· cat lethargy and loss of appetite
Abstract
Clinical features were evaluated in seven adult cats (six males, one female) with haemorrhage and presumptive anticoagulant rodenticide intoxication. Haemorrhage appeared as thoracic haemorrhage, otic bleeding, haematoma, melena, haematochezia, and petechiation. The most common other presenting signs were lethargy, anorexia, and tachypnoea or dyspnoea. Six cats were anaemic, four cats were mildly thrombocytopenic (58000-161000/ microL), and three had slightly decreased plasma protein or albumin values. The prothrombin time (30.3->100 s, reference range: 16.5-27.5 s) and activated partial thromboplastin time values (32.6->100 s; reference range: 14-25 s) were markedly prolonged in all cats. All cats received vitamin K(1)subcutaneously or orally (3.7-5 mg/kg body weight initially) and depending on severity of signs five cats were transfused with fresh whole blood. Plasma coagulation times improved in all cats and returned to normal in 1-5 days. Rodenticide poisons represent an important but relatively rare cause of haemorrhage in cats and can be effectively treated.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12948505/