Question

A 4-year old male neutered Pit Bull mix comes in to your clinic because his owner thinks he might have gotten into rodenticide while she was out of the house 2 hours ago but is not sure. You send her to bring back the box of rodenticide and induce emesis by administering subconjunctival apomorphine. Within 5 minutes, the dog vomits the material shown in the image below. You rinse out the conjunctiva and administer oral activated charcoal. The owner returns with a box of rodenticide that says brodifacoum. What should you recommend?

Hospitalize the dog for 24 hours to monitor and treat potential neurologic signs
Treat the dog with vitamin E and selenium
Treat the dog with vitamin K1 for 6 weeks
Check serum calcium levels today and once weekly for 6 weeks
No additional treatment or monitoring is needed

Answer 1

The dog should be treated with vitamin K1 for 6 weeks to prevent bleeding problems caused by brodifacoum, an anticoagulant rodenticide.

Step-by-step explanation:

The dog should be treated with vitamin K1 for 6 weeks. Brodifacoum is an anticoagulant rodenticide that disrupts blood clotting by inhibiting vitamin K epoxide reductase, an enzyme necessary for the activation of vitamin K. By administering vitamin K1, the dog can replenish its vitamin K levels, allowing for proper blood clotting and preventing potential bleeding problems.

Hospitalization for 24 hours to monitor and treat potential neurologic signs is not necessary as there is no indication of such signs in the question. Additionally, treating the dog with vitamin E and selenium or checking serum calcium levels is not appropriate in this case.