Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Metabolic changes associated with anaesthesia and cherry poisoning in a pony.
- Journal:
- Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Mosing, Martina et al.
- Affiliation:
- Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A pony experienced severe poisoning after eating cherries, which contain cyanide. The pony needed surgery for colic and was put under general anesthesia. During the surgery, the veterinarians noticed serious metabolic issues, including a dangerous buildup of lactic acid, but the pony's blood oxygen levels were good. After the surgery, the pony became very cold and showed neurological problems, leading to the difficult decision to euthanize the pony ten hours later. The cause of death was confirmed to be cyanide poisoning from the cherries.
Abstract
OBSERVATIONS: A case of a pony with severe cyanide intoxication as a result of cherry ingestion is presented. General anaesthesia was performed for colic surgery. Severe metabolic lactate acidosis in combination with a high arterial oxygen partial pressure and clinically good peripheral perfusion parameters were the remarkable signs during anaesthesia. Severe hypothermia was obvious during recovery. Ten hours post-surgery the pony was euthanized as a result of neurological signs. The diagnosis of cyanide intoxication was made post-mortem. CONCLUSION: Cherry ingestion can lead to lethal cyanide intoxication in horses indicated by severe nonhypoxic lactic acidosis during anaesthesia.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19397777/