Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.
Issue link: http://todaysveterinarypractice.epubxp.com/i/815220
85 MAY/JUNE 2017 ■ TVPJOURNAL.COM PRACTICAL TOXICOLOGY Tremorgenic Mycotoxin Intoxication In Dogs Kirsten Waratuke, DVM, DABT ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, Urbana, Illinois PRACTICAL TOXICOLOGY Tremorgenic mycotoxins are metabolites produced by fungi that cause neurotoxicosis in dogs. While several fungal metabolites may cause this intoxication, current research supports penitrem A as the primary mycotoxin involved. The fungi most commonly associated with penitrem A, Penicillium species, grow on meat, cereals, nuts, cheese, eggs, fruits, processed/ refrigerated food, refuse, and compost. 1,2 Small animal veterinarians most commonly treat dogs for penitrem A intoxication; however, rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and calves have also been affected. 3 There are no published reports of penitrem A toxicosis in cats. Based on the current understanding of the toxin's mechanism of action, there is no reason to believe cats could not be affected by penitrem A; most likely, the absence of feline cases is explained by the more discerning eating habits of cats. CLINICAL SIGNS Muscle tremors are the hallmark clinical sign of tremorgenic mycotoxin intoxication ( Box 1 ). Welcome to Practical Toxicology , brought to you in partnership between Today's Veterinary Practice and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) ( aspcapro.org/poison ). This column provides practical clinical information about diagnosing and treating pets that have been exposed to potentially harmful substances. The APCC: • Provides 24-hour diagnostic and treatment recommendations by specially trained veterinary toxicologists • Protects and improves animal lives through toxicology education, consulting services, and case data review • Developed and maintains AnTox, an animal toxicology database system that identifies and characterizes toxic effects of substances in animals • Works closely with human poison control centers to provide animal poisoning information • Offers extensive veterinary toxicology consulting to organizations in industry, government, and agriculture. If treating a patient that requires emergency care for poisoning, call the APCC at 888-426-4435. shutterstock.com/Grigorita Ko