Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bifenthrin Fatality in a Canine: A Case Report with Postmortem Concentrations.
- Journal:
- Journal of analytical toxicology
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Buchweitz, John P et al.
- Affiliation:
- Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female spayed Pit Bull Terrier became very sick and sadly died after being exposed to a type of insecticide called bifenthrin. The dog was left alone for about 15-20 minutes before her owner found her lying on her side and having what looked like a seizure. She was taken to an emergency vet, where she had a fast heartbeat, trouble breathing, and severe shaking or seizures. Despite the best efforts of the veterinary team, she went into respiratory and cardiac arrest and passed away 28 hours later. A test on her liver after she died confirmed the presence of bifenthrin, making this the first known case of a dog dying from this insecticide.
Abstract
A case of canine intoxication and fatality with the pyrethroid insecticide bifenthrin is described. A 5-year-old female spayed Pit Bull Terrier was off leash and unsupervised at home for 15-20 min prior to discovery by her owner. The patient was in lateral recumbency, having what the owner described as a seizure. The patient was transported to an emergency veterinary hospital where she presented with tachycardia, tachypnea and intractable tremors/seizures. Despite aggressive medical intervention, the patient went into respiratory and cardiac arrest and died at 28 h after presentation. A postmortem liver sample screened positive for bifenthrin by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). During the screening procedure, four additional bifenthrin-metabolic products were also observed. Concentrations for bifenthrin were determined for fat, kidney, liver and urine by GC-MS-MS. This is the first reported case of a canine fatality resulting from bifenthrin.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30007355/