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Now most people will recognise that whilst horse manure
may be suitable for helping your roses to bloom it is not
the most nutritious meal for a hungry canine. Yet many dogs
do seem to relish the flavour! Sadly for Diesel his particular
"pile" came with an extra punch!
The day prior to "Diesel's" gourmet snack all
the horses in the yard had been treated for worms using
"ivermectin". This is an extremely effective drug
which acts by paralysing the parasites. Normally, the effect
of the drug on mammals is minimal as ivermectin does not
penetrate their central nervous system easily.
"Collie" dogs however have a peculiar and potentially
fatal susceptibility to ivermectin thought to be associated
with a much higher uptake to the brain. Consequently, soon
after "Diesel's" snack his owner noticed that
he had started to become disorientated and poorly responsive.
Once at Fairfield, my colleague Aga was able to diagnose
his condition and with supportive care through the night
"Diesel" has recovered to "tell the tale!"
Frustratingly for his owners it is unlikely that "Diesel"
will ever realise just exacly what caused his very serious
"hangover" and learn from his mistake. If only
life was that simple!!
Terry
Dunne BVMS, Cert SAO, MRCVS
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