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Welcome to our monthly VetLit Clinical Publication update, where Dr Simon Cook, founder of VetLit.org, provides an overview and update on recently released studies from a wide range of veterinary publications.
I’ve never seen this, but the Australian intoxication literature never disappoints!
Tetrodotoxin is the reason pufferfish preparation for human consumption is such a precise process with life threatening implications (it can readily cause paralysis and a hypoventilatory crisis after initial gastrointestinal signs, via sodium channel blockade).
This study retrospectively describes 372 dogs with exposure to, or clinical signs referable to, pufferfish ingestion. 155 dogs developed clinical signs. Usually these dogs had only eaten one pufferfish, and had found it on the beach.
Gastrointestinal signs included vomiting or regurgitation (often including a pufferfish). Neurological signs such as tremors, weakness and non-ambulatory tetraparesis occurred in approximately a quarter of the clinical cases. Non-ambulatory tetraparesis occurred in 13/155 clinical cases.
We lose some acuity in the data beyond this point, but hypoventilatory states were suspected, if not proven, amongst those with respiratory distress. When ventilated, the median duration was 10 hours, and all but 4/155 dogs survived.
Simon graduated from the University of Bristol in 2011 with degrees in veterinary science and veterinary pathogenesis. After a rotating internship at the Royal Veterinary College and two years in a busy 24 hour small animal hospital, he completed a residency in emergency and critical care at the Royal Veterinary College. He is currently a senior lecturer in emergency and critical care at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Clinical and research interests combined include immunomodulation, cardiovascular monitoring, patient side ultrasonography and aspiration pneumonia. VetLit.org is his passion project, making literature more accessible to anyone and everyone.
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