#5 - gary lehmer 2008-09-19 21:23 - (Reply)

After the recent drop of 1080 in the Kumara water catchment My partner and myself have fallen ill with the symptoms described below. I thought there was no danger and continued to drink the water. after the first rain we fell ill and it has begun cause severe symptoms. We stopped drinking the water 2 days ago and are beginning to feel a bit better. I suspect we may come right in a week or so. If there is any doubt as to the health of our water supply I invite any septics to come and try our tap water for a few days. I know what you will be feeling after just a day or so. somehow I find the lack of concern for the health of our children and environment not consistent with the ideals New Zealand so loves to tout. What are you going to do about this issue. when all the kea's are gone and the kids unable think straight perhaps you will finally recognize it is as bad as thalidomide. It fall to our elected to protect us. You have a voice that may be heard for our screams fall to deaf ears. 1080 POISONING [ NOTE: see last page for glossary of some terms] Symptoms Symptoms of poisoning: Early symptoms: nausea, vomiting, tingling and numbness in face and hands, stomach pains, apprehension and anxiety. Later symptoms: muscular twitching, blurred vision, mental confusion. Severe symptoms: coma, convulsions. In humans the symptoms of poisoning normally appear between 30 minutes and three hours after exposure. Initial symptoms typically include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain; sweating, confusion and agitation follow. In significant poisoning cardiac abnormalities including tachycardia or bradycardia, hypotension and ECG changes develop. Neurological effects include muscle twitching and seizures; Consciousness becomes progressively impaired after a few hours leading to coma. Death is generally due to Ventricular arrhythmias, progressive hypotension unresponsive to treatment, and secondary lung infections. Sub-lethal doses of sodium fluoroacetate may cause damage to tissues with high energy needs — in particular, the brain, gonads, heart, lungs and fetus. Sub-lethal doses are typically completely metabolised and excreted within four days. Symptoms in domestic animals vary: dogs tend to show nervous system signs such as convulsions and uncontrollable running, whilst large herbivores such as cattle and sheep more predominantly show cardiac signs. Treatment If symptoms and history match 1080 toxicity (clinical signs can be relatively easily distinguished from other common toxins such as organophosphates, metaldehyde and strychnine), and if there is a history of baits laid on the property or nearby, and the animal has not been totally supervised for the entire period, it is usually assumed the dog has consumed 1080. The urgency of treatment negates time spent on pathology such as blood gas measurements. Animals presented with a credible history of 1080 ingestion but showing no clinical signs are given an injection of apomorphine to induce vomiting and admitted for observation regardless of whether or not vomiting occurs. Animals presented with more advanced symptoms including seizures, screaming, paddling and barking, are immediately anaesthetised with intravenous Nembutal ® (pentobarbitone sodium; Boehringer Ingelhiem). Once anaesthetised, an intravenous catheter is inserted and connected to a slow saline drip. Sodium bicarbonate (8.4% w/v ASTRA) is administered through the giving port at the rate of 300mg/kg – half as a bolus, then the remainder slowly over approximately 20 minutes. The slow saline drip is continued, with the animal placed on a heat pad or cold towels depending on body temperature. Animals poisoned by 1080 often have elevated temperatures due to seizure activity. A broad spectrum subcutaneous antibiotic is given and the animal kept under close observation. Clinical signs including temperature, heart rate, oxygenation via a pulse oximeter on the animal’s tongue and mucous membrane colour are monitored hourly. Artificial tears are applied to the patient’s eyes every one to two hours to maintain a moist surface and prevent corneal ulcers. The animal is turned from left to right lateral recumbency every four to five hours to reduce pulmonary congestion, pressure sores and muscle necrosis. Patients are kept under anaesthesia and on I/V fluids until they wake up without paddling and seizure activity. The average time 1080 patients are kept under anaesthesia at Crookwell Veterinary Hospital is 19 hours (range 10-48 hours). Once an animal begins to recover it is usually able to stand and eat within 12 hours. Patients are discharged when they can eat, drink, urinate and defaecate. They remain on antibiotics for 1 week – recovered patients can develop a cough, possibly a result of the prolonged anaesthesia. Note: Nembutal is no longer manufactured, presenting a treatment dilemma wrt the critical need to maintain animals under anaesthesia safely for prolonged periods. Recovery and side effects Most animals recover without complications or side effects. Several cases have developed complications: * A 5kg female jack russell terrier was anaesthetised for 24 hours. The dog survived but developed corneal ulceration that eventually led to the ablation of the eye, and a stiff, rigid back leg that failed to regain normal function. The muscle damage is difficult to explain, but the corneal damage was due to drying of the cornea. Artificial tears are now applied frequently during the period of anaesthesia. * Another patient monitored with regular pathology (blood tests at two days post ingestion of the bait, then at five days and 21 days post recovery) developed a mild to moderate hepatopathy with increases in ALP, ALT and amylase. The final blood test showed no abnormalities and 5 months later, the dog bred a litter of 10 normal pups. …also… Because of the biochemical interference in the TCA or Krebs Cycle, sodium fluoroacetate poisoning is very difficult to treat, as once clinical symptoms are shown, the Krebs Cycle has shut down. There is no known effective antidote. Research in monkeys has shown that the use of glyceryl monoacetate can prevent problems if given after ingestion of sodium fluoroacetate, and this has been done in domestic animals with some positive results. The theory of using glyceryl monoacetate is that it will supply acetate ions to allow continuation of the cellular respiration process which the sodium fluoroacetate has disrupted. In clinical cases, use of muscle relaxants, anti-convulsants, mechanical ventilation and other supportive measures may all be required. Few animals or people have been treated successfully after significant sodium fluoroacetate ingestions. GLOSSARY Tachycardia & Bradycardia The word tachycardia comes from the Greek words tachys (meaning rapid or accelerated) & kardia (meaning heart action). 1. typically refers to the cardiac rhythm which produces a ventricular rate greater than 100 beats per minute; 2. sometimes refers to the cardiac rhythm which produces an atrial rate greater than 100 beats per minute while the ventricular rate remains unaffected. When the heart beats rapidly preload and afterload may be negatively affected, causing the heart to pump blood less efficiently. The increased heartbeat leads to increased myocardial oxygen demand, which accounts for the shortness of breath felt during an acute coronary event. Acute oxygen deficiency leads to angina; chronic oxygen deficiency causes ischemic heart disease and may lead to myocardial infarction. Bradycardia, as applied to adult medicine, is defined as a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is seldom symptomatic until the rate drops below 50 beat/min. Ventricular Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC) sometimes called Ventricular Extra Beats (VEBs) Premature Ventricular beats occurring after every normal beat are termed ventricular bigeminy Two premature ventricular beats for each normal beat is termed ventricular trigeminy