Systematic account of animal poisonings in Germany, 2012-2015.
Abstract: A systematic retrospective study on animal poisonings in Germany (wildlife excluded) between January 2012 and December 2015 was conducted. Data were collected on animal exposure calls to German poison centres, poisoning cases presenting to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover Small Animal and Equine Clinics, cases involving off-label use of veterinary medicinal products reported to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety and toxicological submissions to the Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise animal type, exposure reason, type and substance, year/month of exposure, case severity and outcome. An evaluation of the data and data sources was also carried out. Variation in poisoning patterns was seen. However, dogs and cats were the most frequently reported species and medicinal products, pesticides and plants were consistently implicated as top causes of poisoning. Advantages and disadvantages were associated with each data source; bias was found to be an important consideration when evaluating poisoning data. This study provided useful information on animal poisonings in Germany and highlights the need for standardised approaches for the collection, evaluation and integration of poisoning data from multiple sources.
British Veterinary Association.
Publication Date: 2017-02-24 PubMed ID: 28235786DOI: 10.1136/vr.103973Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article is about a systematic study on animal poisonings in Germany conducted from 2012 to 2015, excluding wildlife. The researchers gathered data from different sources to determine the primary causes, patterns, and severity of poisoning in animals, especially dogs and cats.
Research Methodology
- The research was a retrospective study on animal poisonings in Germany, carried out from January 2012 to December 2015.
- Data was gathered from multiple sources which include exposure calls to poison centres in Germany, poisoning cases presented to the Small Animal and Equine Clinics at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, cases involving off-label use of veterinary medicinal products reported to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, and toxicological submissions to the Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy at the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich.
Statistical Analysis
- The researchers used descriptive statistics to identify the animal type, reasons for exposure, types and substances of poison, the year/month when exposure happened, the severity of the case, and the outcome.
- They also evaluated each data source to identify any bias or other factors that might affect the results.
Findings
- The study revealed variance in poisoning patterns, with dogs and cats being the most frequently reported species.
- The primary causes of poisoning were revealed to be medicinal products, pesticides, and plants.
Implications and Future Directions
- Although every data source had its pros and cons, bias was concluded to be the prevalent issue when assessing poisoning data.
- This research is key as it provides valuable insights on the issue of animal poisonings in Germany, and underscores the need for standardised methods for collecting, evaluating, and integrating poisoning data from various sources.
Cite This Article
APA
McFarland SE, Mischke RH, Hopster-Iversen C, von Krueger X, Ammer H, Potschka H, Stürer A, Begemann K, Desel H, Greiner M.
(2017).
Systematic account of animal poisonings in Germany, 2012-2015.
Vet Rec, 180(13), 327.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103973 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Exposure, Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
- Veterinary Drugs Department, Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Safety, Berlin, Germany.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- The Society of Clinical Toxicology, Mainz, Germany.
- Department of Exposure, Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Exposure, Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Exposure, Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
- Virtual Centre for Animal Health and Food Quality, University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cats
- Dogs
- Germany / epidemiology
- Horses
- Livestock
- Off-Label Use / veterinary
- Pesticides / poisoning
- Poison Control Centers / statistics & numerical data
- Poisoning / epidemiology
- Poisoning / veterinary
- Poultry
- Rabbits
- Retrospective Studies
- Veterinary Drugs / poisoning
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Soleng A, Edgar KS, von Krogh A, Seljetun KO. Suspected rodenticide exposures in humans and domestic animals: Data from inquiries to the Norwegian Poison Information Centre, 2005-2020. PLoS One 2022;17(12):e0278642.
- Araújo D, Lima C, Mesquita JR, Amorim I, Ochôa C. Characterization of Suspected Crimes against Companion Animals in Portugal. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 20;11(9).
- Moshobane MC, Bertero A, Marks C, Stephen C, Mothapo NP, Middleton L, Caloni F. Plants and mushrooms associated with animal poisoning incidents in South Africa. Vet Rec Open 2020;7(1):e000402.
- Valverde I, Espín S, Gómez-Ramírez P, Navas I, Sánchez-Virosta P, Torres-Chaparro MY, Jiménez P, María-Mojica P, García-Fernández AJ. Temporal Persistence of Bromadiolone in Decomposing Bodies of Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Toxics 2020 Nov 7;8(4).
- Bertero A, Fossati P, Caloni F. Indoor Companion Animal Poisoning by Plants in Europe. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:487.
- Lahmar R, Berny P, Mahjoub T, Ben Youssef S. Animal Pesticide Poisoning in Tunisia. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:369.
- Noble PM, Newman J, Wyatt AM, Radford AD, Jones PH. Heightened risk of canine chocolate exposure at Christmas and Easter. Vet Rec 2017 Dec 23;181(25):684.
- Aradilla N, De Pablo-Moreno JM, Porras N, Chinchilla B, Rodríguez-Bertos A. Evolution of Suspected Cat Abuse Between 2020 and 2024 in the Community of Madrid (Spain). Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 3;15(19).
- Aleksic Radojkovic J, Nesic V, Ilic Bozovic A, Davitkov D, Djuric M, Krstic V, Davitkov D. Cruelty toward Dogs and Cats in the Republic of Serbia during a 10-Year Period. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jun 29;14(13).
- Schweikle S, Häser A, Wetters S, Raisin M, Greiner M, Rigbers K, Fischer U, Pietsch K, Suntz M, Nick P. DNA barcoding as new diagnostic tool to lethal plant poisoning in herbivorous mammals. PLoS One 2023;18(11):e0292275.
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