Clinicopathological aspects of imidocarb dipropionate toxicity in horses.

This research paper explores the detrimental effects of imidocarb dipropionate (IMDP) when administered in increasing doses to adult horses. Particularly, the paper highlights associations between high IMDP dosage and elevated morbidity, mortality, and a variety of significant systemic health complications.

Research Methods and Experimental Design

• A total of 24 adult horses were separated into six groups and each group was injected with varying doses (0, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 mg/kg) of IMDP twice in a 24-hour period. This allowed the researchers to analyse the effects of different IMDP dosages on overall horse health.
• The conditions of the horses were then monitored for a total of 21 days to track any potential long-term health effects caused by the IMDP injections.

Key Findings

• The lethal dose (LD50 – the dose lethal to 50% of the horses) of IMDP was found to be two injections of approximately 15.99 mg/kg each. Any horses that died during the study typically did so within the first six days after being injected with IMDP.
• The research also identified a correlation between increasing IMDP levels and a rise in the rates of morbidity (disease) and mortality amongst the horses. Essentially, the more IMDP a horse was injected with, the sicker it became, and the higher its risk of death became.
• High doses of IMDP were associated with a range of significant, detrimental health outcomes, including an increase in blood urea nitrogen, serum aspartate amino transferase, serum sorbitol dehydrogenase, serum creatine phosphokinase, neutrophilia (excess of neutrophilic white blood cells in the blood), and more severe renal (kidney-related), hepatic (liver-related) and pulmonary (lung-related) lesions.
• The cause of death in the horses that did not survive the study was attributed to acute renal cortical tubular necrosis (severe damage to the renal tubules in the kidneys) and acute periportal hepatic necrosis (serious damage to the liver) caused by the two injections of either 16 or 32 mg/kg of IMDP.

Implications and Conclusion

• The findings of this study show a clear link between high doses of IMDP and serious health issues in horses. Care must be taken when administering this substance to avoid causing adverse effects.