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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog developed severe breathing trouble after intravenous lipid

By Botha, Heike et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2019·ECC Resident at The Veterinary Specialty Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Suspected Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Associated With the Use of Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Therapy in a Dog: A Case Report.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 12-year-old male neutered Bichon Frise was brought to the emergency vet after eating chocolate and marijuana, showing signs of stupor and a slow heart rate. While in the hospital, he became comatose and had trouble breathing. The vet tried intravenous lipid emulsion therapy to help remove the toxins from his system, but unfortunately, the dog developed severe breathing problems and had to be euthanized. A post-mortem exam showed he had serious lung swelling, indicating acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is a rare but serious complication of this treatment.

People also search for: dog chocolate marijuana poisoning · Bichon Frise breathing problems · intravenous lipid emulsion side effects in dogs

Abstract

A 12-year-old male neutered Bichon Frise presented to the Emergency Department for stupor and bradycardia after ingestion of chocolate covered 450 mg (90 mg/kg) tetrahydrocannabinol. The patient was hospitalized for supportive care, IV fluid therapy and monitoring in the intensive care unit. During hospitalization the patient became comatose and bradypneic. Treatment with intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) therapy was instituted to accelerate toxin elimination, reduce the risk of complications related to progressive obtundation and shorten hospitalization time. Five hours after infusion, the patient developed severe respiratory distress and was ultimately euthanized. Post-mortem histologic evaluation of lung revealed severe pulmonary edema consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome. There are infrequent reports of adverse effects associated with ILE therapy for toxicosis in veterinary medicine despite reports of complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome in human literature. The purpose of this report is to describe the potential for a severe adverse event after treatment of a toxicosis with ILE therapy.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31338370/