Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF SAMPLES

• The report which accompany materials for toxicological analysis should include full history, clinical signs, necropsy findings, particularly the result of search of environment for access to poisoning.
• If the animal has been treated, drug used and date of administration should be given.
• The poison / group of poisons should be defined.
• Specimens should include poison’s source and gastrointestinal contents.
• List Suspects 
  • Arsenic - kidney, skin, hair
  • Lead - kidney, bone, blood
  • Phosphorous - kidney , muscle
  • Mercury - kidney
  • Copper - kidney, blood
  • Sodium chloride- Alimentary tract and its contents
  • Flourine - Bone, teeth, urine
  • Hydrogen cyanide - Ingesta in air tight container
  • Nitrate & Nitrite - Ingesta in chloroform or formalin in air tight container or blood.
  • Strychnine - Blood, kidney, urine
• Careful packing of specimen is necessary to avoid loss of poison by escape of gas or convertion by bacterial fermentation and to prevent contamination.
• No preservative should be added except in cases suspected nitrate poisoning. If a preservative is necessary, because of distance from laboratory, packing in dry ice / ethanol 1 ml/gram of tissue is advisable.
• In the later instances, a specimen of alcohol should be sent.
• Ingesta and tissues must be kept separate because diffusions may occur.
• Specimens should be packed in glass or plastic to prevent contamination.
• Metal tops or jars should be also separated by a layer of plastic or other impervious material.
• Suitable amount of material should be sent for analysis (1 kg of ingesta, 1 kg of liner, proportionate amount of others).
• If there is a strong suspicion or criminal poisoning/litigation duplicate specimens collected in preserve of witness.
• A complete set of specimen should be available in both parties for independent analysis.
• Veterinarian should make clinical, pathological, epidemiological investigation.
• Take photographs and document the same.