CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1542020
Case Report: α-Amanitin Toxicosis Leading to Acute Death in a Puppy
Provisionally accepted
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, United States
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1.1 A 12-week-old, male intact, Shetland Sheepdog presented with acute onset vomiting and diarrhea, rapidly progressing to stupor and hypoglycemic shock following ingestion of αamanitin-containing mushrooms. Despite aggressive therapeutic interventions, the patient exhibited rapid systemic deterioration characterized by recurrent hypoglycemia, hypotension, and multi-organ failure, leading to cardiopulmonary arrest within 22 hours of presentation.Definitive diagnosis was unable to be elucidated prior to death, leading to an untailored treatment plan. Post-mortem analysis confirmed extensive necrosis of the liver, kidneys, and brain. Presence of α-amanitin was confirmed in the hepatic tissue via post-mortem lateral flow immunoassay. Serum collected at presentation was submitted post-mortem for an insulin level which was found to be discordantly elevated, which may demonstrate an alternative mechanism of hypoglycemia in this case. This case highlights the rapidly lethal potential of α-amanitin in pediatric patients and the non-classical case presentation. This report contributes to the limited veterinary literature on this toxin in pediatric patients and underscores the need for heightened awareness and rapid diagnosis and treatment in suspected cases.
Keywords: Amanita1, toxicity2, canine3, hypoglycemia4, hepatic necrosis5
Received: 09 Dec 2024; Accepted: 30 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lake, Ludwik and Hake. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zachary Lake, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, United States
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