Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Upper airway blockage from rat poison in five dogs
By Lawson, Corinne et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2017·From the University of Illinois, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Upper Airway Obstruction Secondary to Anticoagulant Rodenticide Toxicosis in Five Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Five dogs showed signs of upper airway obstruction, including noisy breathing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. X-rays revealed soft tissue swelling in their throats, and blood tests indicated issues with blood clotting, likely due to poisoning from anticoagulant rodenticide. Four of the dogs received treatment for their blood clotting problems and were able to go home after recovery. This case highlights that airway obstruction can occur in dogs with rodenticide poisoning, which may help vets recognize and treat it more quickly.
People also search for: dog coughing and gagging · upper airway obstruction in dogs · anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning treatment · dog respiratory distress symptoms · dog blood clotting issues
Abstract
Five dogs were presented with clinical signs compatible with upper airway obstruction, including stridor, stertor, coughing, gagging, and varying degrees of respiratory distress. All dogs had radiographic findings of soft tissue opacity in the area of the pharynx, larynx, or trachea, and several had narrowing of the tracheal lumen. Coagulation abnormalities (prolonged prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time) were present in the four dogs that underwent testing. Four of five dogs were treated for the coagulopathy, presumably due to anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis, and survived to discharge.Upper airway obstruction is an unusual presentation for anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis in dogs. Raising the index of suspicion for this treatable condition may help clinicians to identify this sooner.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28535134/