VPT 421: Veterinary Toxicology (2+0)

CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND PM LESIONS

Clinical symptoms

• In acute poisoning the symptoms noticed are nausea, vomiting, salivation, purgation, violent abdominal pain, dehydration, tachycardia, shock and collapse, ending in death.
• The faeces of the affected animals contain mucous and are of deep green colour.
• In chronic poisoning there will be decreased ruminal fermentation and ruminal stasis initially.
• Later, there will be impairment of liver function characterised by anorexia, depression, thirst and diarrhoea.
• In the later stages there will be generalised icterus, haemoglobinaemia, haemoglobinuria and recumbency.

PM Lesions

• In acute poisoning severe gastroenteritis with erosions and ulcerations are noticed in the abomasum of ruminants.
• A characteristic feature is that blood is found to be coagulated at the time of death.
• In chronic cases, generalised icterus, enlarged, yellow and fragile liver and enlarged spleen is noticed.
• Animal voids port wine coloured urine.
• The kidney is bluish black in colour and this is known as gun-metal kidney. This type of kidney is formed due to the haemolytic crisis with chronic copper poisoning.