Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Secondary pentobarbital poisoning in two dogs: a cautionary tale.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Kaiser, Amanda M et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of Wyoming · United States
Plain-English summary
Two dogs, a 13-year-old spayed female and a 7-year-old neutered male, were found to have been poisoned by a drug called pentobarbital, which is often used for euthanasia. It turned out that the source of the poison was the remains of a horse that had been put down over two years earlier, and this same horse may have caused the deaths of at least one or two other dogs. This situation highlights the importance of properly disposing of animals that have been euthanized to prevent such dangerous incidents.
Abstract
Two dogs, a 13-year-old spayed female and a 7-year-old neutered male, were diagnosed with pentobarbital poisoning. Follow-up investigation determined that the source of pentobarbital was the carcass of a horse that had been euthanized more than 2 years previously and that was also apparently responsible for the death of a least 1, and possibly 2, other dogs. The fact that the horse carcass remained lethally toxic more than 2 years after it was euthanized reemphasizes the necessity of proper disposal of euthanized animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20622239/