Metaldehyde slug bait – the ban has been overturned
We previously reported that a ban on outdoor use of metaldehyde slug pellets was to come into force next year, however, it has been announced that this has been overturned following a High Court...
View ArticleNew CPD Dates
Our CPD courses are aimed at keeping vets and vet nurses up-to-date in small animal toxicology. Each course equates to 6 hours of CPD and covers key areas such as decontamination and common or tricky...
View ArticleCherry laurel and other cyanide containing plants
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and many other Prunus species, including peaches, cherries, apricots, plums and nectarines contain cyanogenic glycosides. These compounds are hydrolysed by an enzyme...
View ArticleRopinirole eye drops – an emetic for dogs
Ropinirole is a full dopamine agonist with high selectivity for dopamine D2-type receptors. A new study examined the effectiveness and ease of administration by owners of ropinirole eyes drops for the...
View ArticleConkers and acorns
We receive lots of enquires at this time of year about dogs eating acorns (the fruit of oak) and conkers (the seed of the horse chestnut). With acorns about a quarter of dogs remain well and with...
View ArticleSycamore, hypoglycin A and equines
One of the most important hazards for horses in the autumn is atypical myopathy, a muscle disease with high mortality. It is associated with chronic ingestion of seeds or seedlings of some commonly...
View ArticleHalloween – Pumpkins, sweets and luminous necklaces
Ingestion of pumpkins including seeds is generally not a concern and may cause mild gastrointestinal upset. These fruits can contain extremely bitter-tasting compounds but they have been bred out of...
View ArticleFireworks – are they poisonous?
Fireworks have six components: fuel (usually charcoal, although phosphorous has been used), oxidising agents (usually nitrates, chlorate or perchlorate), reducing agents (usually sulphur and charcoal),...
View ArticleMushroom poisoning – lots of cases this month
The mild, warm wet weather this month lead to lots of enquiries about dogs eating mushrooms and we have had several fatal cases. Many mushrooms just cause gastrointestinal signs but some that are less...
View ArticleIntranasal midazolam – for emergency control of seizures
Status epilepticus is an emergency that requires rapid and effective treatment to prevent neurological injury and systemic complications of prolonged seizure activity. A number of poisons, such as...
View ArticleChristmas means chocolate!
Christmas is associated with an excess of food and top of the list is chocolate. This of course means an increase in cases of accidental ingestion in pets, particularly dogs. We see a huge increase in...
View ArticleGrapes and dried fruits – Christmas cake and Christmas pudding
Another potential Christmas food hazard are grapes and their dried fruits (sultanas, raisins and currants). This includes Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies. Ingestion of grapes or their...
View ArticleAnticoagulant rodenticide poisoning in horses
Horses are a risk of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning. In over a hundred cases with follow up reported to the VPIS, most horses (>85%) remained well. Less than 10 horses had evidence of...
View ArticleWelcome to 2020!
Happy New Year to all our members. We are very grateful for your continued support of our valuable service and are proud to be here to assist you with your poisoning cases. In 2019 we handled over...
View ArticleAllium poisoning – not just cats and dogs are at risk
Allium species include onions, garlic and leeks. These plants contain a variety of organosulphoxides. Metabolism of the organosulphoxides causes oxidative damage to haemoglobin which results in...
View ArticleAnticoagulant rodenticides – some reminders
Anticoagulant rodenticides continue to be one the most common enquiries to VPIS, particularly in dogs. A single ingestion of a small amount of anticoagulant rodenticide is usually not a problem, but it...
View ArticleChinese New Year – the Year of the Rat
The Chinese New Year is the Year of the Rat. Although most of the cases in our database concern dogs and cats, we have over 100 cases involving rats exposed to a wide variety of substances including...
View ArticleObtaining drugs for the emergency treatment of poisoning – Elixir from CVS
Access to emergency drugs may sometimes be an issue in the management of poisoning. In order to further address this CVS, who have a large network of practices, including out of hours and referral...
View ArticleTea tree oil toxicosis
Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil from the leaves and terminal branches of the tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). Tea tree oil may be perceived as a ‘natural’ treatment and...
View ArticleCannabis oil, hemp oil, CBD oil – what is the difference?
Cannabis products are much in the news currently and there can be confusion about the names of the various types of extracts. Different strains of cannabis plants contain varying quanities of two main...
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