Diagnosis and Treatment

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Diagnosis

  • Symptoms like colic, thirst, straining and purgation and vomiting occur suddenly. This might give a suspicion for some irritant poisoning like arsenic. Chronic poisoning is difficult to diagnose.

Treatment

  • Induction of emesis.
  • Gastric lavage with warm water.
  • Enema in carnivores.
  • Purgatives in ruminants.
  • Use of demulcents to reduce irritation.
  • Freshly prepared ferric hydroxide can be given but its use is doubtful.
  • Sodium thiosulphate (hypo) can be given orally and intravenously.
    • Horse and cattle – 8 to 10 g as 10-20% solution i/v 20 to 30 g orally in about 300 ml of water.
  • Dimercaprol (BAL-British Anti Lewisite)
    • Dimercaprol binds with arsenic-lipoic acid complex and forms arsenic-mercaptide complex. This complex is non-toxic and easily excreted from the body.
    • BAL is relatively ineffective unless given prior to onset of clinical symptoms. Overdosage of arsenic is common in horses and is known as ‘tying up’ in animals.
    • Water soluble BAL compounds like DMSA (Succimer) and DMPS (Unithiol) are found to be effective.
  • Thioctic acid (lipoic acid) can also be administered.
  • d-Penicillamine is also useful as a chelating agent.
Last modified: Wednesday, 28 December 2011, 1:49 AM