Federal University of Agreste Pernambucano – UFAPE, Goiânia, Goiás – Brazil
Title: ONION POISONING IN AN ELDERLY FEMALE DOG AND THE TRIGGERING OF NEUROLOGICAL SIGNS: CASE REPORT
Biography:
Fabiana Arakaki is a Veterinarian Doctor and works as Veterinary Neurologist with Clinic Empório dos Bichos in Brasília, DF in Brazil. She holds a BSc. in Veterinary Medicine and currently is pursuing a Specialization in Neurology and Neurosurgeryat Universidade Federal do Agreste Pernambucano-UFAPE. Fabiana has one year and seven months in veterinary practices with dogs and cats working at private renowned veterinary clinics in Distrito Federal and six months of practice as Veterinary Neurologist. She has participated and concluded two advanced courses in Clinic Neurology with VetCam Specialists,Barcel9na-Spain and also attended the Workshop NEUROSTORM in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where most acclaimed Neurologists discussed diseases and treatment of the central nervous system. She also organized and served as Monitor at the first and second editions of
the Neurosurgery Hands on Course held at Centro Unificado de Ensino-CEUB in Brasilia, Brazil. She has been involved as voluntary with the treatment and care of
rescued dogs and cats from the recent flood that have bitten Rio Grande do Sul State, in Brazil leaving more than five thousand animals in need of veterinary careacting as medical support and bringing different medicines and supplies for the treatment of sheltered animals. She has presented an abstract on how human food containing white common onion is neurologically prejudicial to dogs showing the clinical signs and the risks to animals life at Congresso Brasiliense de Medicina Veterinária, COBRA in Brasilia, Brazil organized by the Veterinary Doctor Association of Distrito Federal Brazil, AmeVet-DF.
Abstract
Allium cepa or common white onion is a widely used ingredient in cooking as a flavor enhancer. The intoxication in dogs occur through the ingestion of the leftovers ofhuman food, producing acute to chronic responses and different clinical signs
according to the ingestion amount. Due to rapid enteric absorption of the toxin, most reported clinical signs are hypoxia, pale mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhea distended abdomen, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, dehydration and prostration20-40 minutes after ingestion. This study has the objective to contribute to literacy as there is little study on neurological signs related to dogs intoxication with Allium cepa. Proprioceptive and cerebellar ataxies at postural and gait tests are head tilt,dysmetria and incapacity to maintain the station position in association to midryasis, nystagmus and intracranial pressure as arterial pressure gains high levels.
Neurological signs can vary as vital organs are working to prevent failure in thesystem and death.
The patient in this study report is a 11 years old female dog, 10 kilos, treated with support therapy to control pain for three days.
This case report may also be an auxiliary study to veterinarians on routine, neurologic or general, to differentiate signs involving the vertebral medula and intoxication with human food containing domestic onion. This may also serve as education to dog lovers to prevent accidents, sufferring and pain with eminent risk of animals death.
