We were planning to attend the congress of the European Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) in Tallinn, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. The abstracts for the congress have been published, however, and are available to view online. Our abstracts are: Animal PoisonLine: review of a [...]
In the UK, slugs are active most of the year, but their activity is particularly prominant in the upcoming months- meaning cases of molluscicide posioning are likely to increase. Metaldehyde is a common ingredient of molluscicide preparations and is toxic to dogs. It is most commonly ingested in the form of [...]
As with previous years, VPIS tends to see a spike in calls concerning adders in the spring and, as the weather has been heating up recently, we have definitely seen an increase in adder bite cases being reported to us. The European adder, Vipera berus berus, is the only venomous snake [...]
This year, 1st June marks the beginning of Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) 2020. The focus of this year’s RAW is to raise awareness around Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 2 (RVHD2), an often fatal new variant of RVHD1. Many rabbits are left at risk of this disease, due to owners choosing [...]
We are very grateful to all the vets who are using our services during the pandemic, especially Animal PoisonLine. We hope that our support with triaging these often challenging cases has helped you reduce the number of face to face consultations. Many owners are now aware of APL (and therefore [...]
Metaldehyde toxicosis in dogs is characterised by prolonged seizure activity and it is a common cause of seizures in poisoned dogs. Management can be difficult and often several sedatives or anaesthetic agents are required to control seizures and prevent the onset of complications such as pyrexia and multiorgan failure. Treatment [...]
At this time of year we always see an increase in various types of calls due to the improving weather and the Spring hazards that come with it. These include fertilisers, weedkillers, rat and mouse poison and spring flowers or bulbs. But this year we are also receiving more calls [...]
Vitamin K1 is the antidote to anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis. It works by restoring vitamin K body stores and allowing synthesis of clotting factors required for the clotting cascade. It is given prophylactically and in the management of acute coagulopathy. Many sources state that vitamin K1 takes time, sometimes hours, to [...]
Firstly, we would like to extend our thanks to the veterinary staff who are continuing to work during the pandemic often under very stressful conditions. We would like to reassure you that both our VPIS and Animal PoisonLine services are running as normal during the lockdown and we are here [...]
Some poisons cause severe anaemia or coagulopathy and although these are relatively uncommon in cats (compared to dogs) what are the risks of giving canine blood when no feline blood is available and the cat requires an urgent blood transfusion? A recently published article reviewed 49 cases of cats given [...]
