Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs poisoned by old horse carcass - what to know
By Kaiser, Amanda M et al.Ā·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, IncĀ·2010Ā·University of Wyoming, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Secondary pentobarbital poisoning in two dogs: a cautionary tale.
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old spayed female dog and a 7-year-old neutered male dog were brought to the vet after showing signs of poisoning from pentobarbital, a drug used for euthanasia. It turned out that they had ingested the carcass of a horse that had been euthanized over two years prior, which still contained toxic levels of the drug. This incident highlights the importance of properly disposing of euthanized animals to prevent such tragedies. Fortunately, the dogs received treatment, but the case serves as a warning to pet owners about the dangers of scavenging.
People also search for: dog poisoning symptoms Ā· what to do if my dog eats a dead animal Ā· pentobarbital poisoning in dogs
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 āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20622239/