Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog survives after accidental 10x colchicine overdose and treatment
By Goodman, Ingrid Henrietta·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2020·Department of Medicine, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survival of a dog with accidental colchicine overdose.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old male neutered Pomeranian accidentally received ten times the normal dose of colchicine after glaucoma surgery and started vomiting soon after. He was treated at home but returned to the vet with more vomiting, eye pain, and high eye pressure. After hospitalization, he experienced severe side effects, including low body temperature, high blood pressure, and heart issues, but with intensive treatment over nine days, he made a full recovery. This case shows that with prompt and aggressive care, dogs can survive colchicine overdose, although the situation remains serious.
People also search for: dog vomiting after medication · colchicine overdose treatment in dogs · Pomeranian eye pain after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the treatment and clinical course of a dog accidentally prescribed 10 times the recommended dose of colchicine (0.3 mg/kg/d instead of 0.03 mg/kg/d). CASE SUMMARY: After glaucoma surgery, a 1-year-old male neutered Pomeranian weighing 6.8 kg was prescribed 1,000 μg colchicine twice a day per os. The dog presented to the emergency department after the first dose with vomiting and was treated as an outpatient. Two colchicine doses later, the dog represented with vomiting, ocular pain, and increased intraocular pressure. The dog's vital signs were normal, and the dog was admitted for rehydration, analgesia, and revision glaucoma surgery the next day. Two hours after revision surgery, the dog developed vomiting and diarrhea. Postoperatively, the dog was hypothermic (36.3°C), persistently hypertensive (227 mm Hg), and bradycardic (60/min). Biochemistry revealed metabolic acidosis and increased hepatic enzyme activities. Mannitol was administered for presumed cerebral edema. Later, the dog developed bradycardia due to second-degree atrioventricular heart block, which responded to atropine. Total hospitalization was 9 days. Treatment included IV fluids, IV lipid emulsion, N-acetylcysteine, activated charcoal, gastroprotectants, antiemetics, opioids, antimicrobials, and barrier nursing due to transient neutropenia. NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED: This is the first report to describe the successful treatment of a dog with colchicine overdose. The systemic effects were presumed to be secondary to colchicine toxicosis rather than diet, infection, or other drug reaction, and may have been compounded by a second anesthetic episode. Gastrointestinal signs, symptoms of cerebral edema, cardiac arrhythmias, and neutropenia were documented. One other report of colchicine overdose in a dog exists, and that patient was euthanized. This report demonstrates that complete recovery with intensive care is possible; however, the prognosis remains guarded.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31883205/