Diagnosis and Treatment
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Diagnosis
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Acute toxicosis is diagnosed based on history of exposure, appropriate clinical signs.
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Brain analysis is important for diagnosis of acute toxicosis.
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Half of the frozen brain should be submitted for analysis.
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The other half should be fixed for histopathology to rule out infectious (encephalitides), degenerative, or neoplastic diseases.
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To determine sources, it may be appropriate to submit specimens for analysis such as: feed. suspected insecticidal formulation - granules, liquid, old containers, etc., gastrointestinal tract contents and liver.
Treatment
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Remove the animal from the source.
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There is no specific antidote for organochlorines and treatment is aimed at reducing further absorption and hastening elimination from the body.
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If dermal exposure is suspected, bathe the animal with plenty of water and avoid human exposure by the use of heavy-gauge rubber gloves.
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Supportive and symptomatic therapy is advantageous.
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Suggested drug for initial control is diazepam (dogs) or, if it fails (or for other species), phenobarbital or pentobarbital .
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For prolonged CNS stimulation, the drug of choice is phenobarbital which may also stimulate mixed function oxidase activity to shorten half-life.
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Last modified: Monday, 5 December 2011, 2:54 PM