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Nitrite poisoning in cats and dogs fed a commercial pet food
Worth AJ, Ainsworth SJ, Brocklehurst PJ, Collett MG
New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 45, Issue 5, pp 193-195, Oct 1997
New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 45, Issue 5, pp 193-195, Oct 1997
Article class: Clinical Communication
Animal Type: Cat, Companion animal, Dog
Subject Terms: Diet/rations/food, Nutrition/metabolism, Poisoning - chemical, Poisoning - plant, Toxicology
Publisher: Taylor and FrancisAbstract
The death of three cats, from two separate households, was linked to toxic concentrations of sodium nitrite used as a preservative in a commercial pet food. Post-mortem examination of the three cats revealed a brownish discoloration of the blood suggestive of methaemoglobinaemia. Analysis of two samples of the pet food fed to the cats revealed a mean concentration of 2850 mg of total nitrite per kg of food (as fed). In a further incident, ataxia and weakness was noticed in two of four dogs after they were fed the same brand of pet food. One dog was successfully treated for methaemoglobinaemia with intravenous methylene blue.The whole of the literary matter of the New Zealand Veterinary Journal is copyright Taylor and Francis, Downloading this article signifies agreement with the terms and conditions of electronic access.