EDITORIAL: Emerging Challenges in Companion Animal Toxicology

Nicola Bates¹Lynn Rolland Hovda²Kristin Opdal Seljetun^3,4*

• ¹Veterinary Poisons Information Service, London, United Kingdom
• ²Safetycall International and Pet Poison Helpline, Minneapolis, MN, United States
• ³Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Oslo, Norway
• ⁴Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment, Oslo, Norway

This Research Topic "Emerging Challenges in Companion Animal Toxicology" presents eight manuscripts that improve our knowledge and understanding of poisoning agents and treatment protocols. Initial management of poisoning in veterinary cases usually involves gastric decontamination, typically induction of emesis and administration of activated charcoal as an adsorbent. Apomorphine, a dopamine agonist, has long been the main emetic used in dogs, but the novel dopamine-2 specific agonist ropinirole has also been licensed for this indication. Lee et al. evaluated the effect of ophthalmic ropinirole compared to intravenous apomorphine in dogs. The work found ropinirole non-inferior to apomorphine. Ropinirole had a longer time to onset of effect and more protracted vomiting but had a similar incidence of adverse effects and efficacy compared to apomorphine. Activated charcoal is another commonly used treatment in small animal intoxications, due to its ability to bind to a variety of toxicants (Murphy, 2011;Wilson and Humm, 2013). Activated charcoal binds to compounds in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in decreased adsorption, thus reducing or preventing systemic toxicity (AACT and EAPCCT, 2005). Hypernatremia is a recognized adverse effect of charcoal administration and Young et al. carried out a retrospective study from 2018 to 2023 on the incidence of hypernatremia after such treatment. The research found that administration of a single dose of activated charcoal, with or without coadministration of a cathartic in dogs with acute toxicant ingestion was not associated with the development of hypernatremia.Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) is used in the management of poisoning with a number of different substances, usually lipophilic compounds but also cardiotoxic substances. The mechanism of effect of ILE is not fully understood but is commonly described as a 'lipid sink' or 'shuttle' (Fettiplace and Weinberg, 2018). The study by Jones et al. examined the effect of ILE on the blood concentration of baclofen, ibuprofen, and bromethalin in dogs. ILE therapy was only effective at reducing bromethalin concentrations, supporting the lipid sink theory, and it was concluded that ILE therapy may have other means of significantly decreasing lipophilic drug concentrations in cases of toxicosis.Other studies and case reports presented within this research topic demonstrate the variety of potentially harmful substances in our environment. Natural toxins are a potential risk, such as stinging insects. The case report by Lee et al. describes multiple organ failure in a small dog following multiple stings from a paper wasp. Cases of multiple stings from bees and wasps are reported in dogs but this is the first report involving paper wasps.In another case report, McDermott et al. describe a case of thallium poisoning in a dog and this case serves to remind us that substances that are no longer used are still a risk to pets if not stored or disposed of safely. In this case the national poison center played an essential role in advising on management and accessing the antidote, Prussian Blue. Poison centers are a vital resource in the management of veterinary and human poisoning. The World Health Organization states that 'poison centres are sources of specialised expertise to address the fact that health professionals could not be expected to know about the toxicity of every chemical substance and product and also to provide a focus for toxicological research' (WHO, 2020). This is equally true for veterinary as well as human poison centers.Petronzio et al. call our attention to the risk of side effects from therapeutic doses of medications. The case report describes a case of bone marrow suppression suspected after febantel administration, a compound metabolized to fenbendazole and oxyfenbendazole. The previously healthy dog was treated with febantel, combined with praziquantel and pyrantel pamoate prescribed for empirical treatment of giardia, although the dog was neither symptomatic nor fecal antigen positive. Bone marrow suppression has been reported with fenbendazole and albendazole, another benzimidazole anthelminthic, but not with febantel. Other causes of bone marrow toxicity were ruled out and the authors suspect that metabolism to fenbendazole, an active metabolite, resulted in an idiosyncratic drug reaction. This case serves as a reminder that adverse effects can occur from commonly used medications even when dosed appropriately.The article by Klainbart et al. demonstrates the increasing trend of exposure to illicit drugs in pets. The study describes confirmed cases of drug of abuse exposure in pets from a Californian laboratory and found the most common drugs were amphetamine-type stimulants. In almost half the cases, however, more than one drug was found and a number of cases involved animal cruelty. The research shed light on malicious poisoning of animals and the need for further studies in this area.Ingestion of human medication in dogs is a frequent call to animal poison centers (ASPCA, 2025;Handley, 2025). The review by Lohmann-Menezes et al. highlights the importance of species differences in both therapeutic usage and risk of toxicosis using the example of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac in dogs. The study emphasises the importance of seeking veterinary advice before administering drugs to pets.In conclusion, the articles included in this Research Topic illustrate some of the circumstances in which companion animal poisoning can occur. All these studies highlight the wide variety and complexity in cases emergency veterinary clinicians can encounter, and together they contribute to our knowledge of the risks and management of poisoning in companion animals.