Acidentes botrópicos em cães / Bothrops snakebites in dogs

ABSTRACT

Background: Snakebites occur frequently among humans and animals. In Brazil, about 23,000 cases of snakebite involving humans were recorded in 2016, 11% of them caused by venomous snakes. In the region of Cuiabá, capital of MatoGrosso, the highest occurrence is of snakes of the genus Bothrops (81%), followed by Crotalus (4%). Bothrops venom hasproteolytic, coagulant, and hemorrhagic effects, whereas Crotalus venom is neurotoxic, myotoxic and nephrotoxic. Thispaper reports on three cases of Bothrops snakebites in dogs treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal Universityof Mato Grosso in 2017.Cases Three dogs were treated showing clinical signs of snakebite, possibly by Bothrops, since their owners reportedthat these are the snakes most frequently found where they live. This information is consistent with the known geographicdistribution of snakes of the genus Bothrops in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In the first report (Case 11), the patientwas bitten on two different occasions in a five-month interval, and died presumably due to anaphylactic shock causedby the venom injected by a second snakebite (Case 12). In both episodes, the animal presented a swollen face and neck,dyspnea and eye bleeding, and these signs were more severe in the second episode. Case 2 was a dog with severe neckand chest swelling and pain. The owner of this dog reported that he had taken his dog for a walk in the countryside, alongwith the dog of Case 1, and had returned home with both dogs about three hours before the consultation. Case 3 was aRottweiler living at a small family farm located 67 km from Cuiabá. The animal presented slight swelling and pain in theleft forelimb, and puncture wounds on the lower limb. Neutrophilic leukocytosis was observed in cases 1 and 3. In addition, Case 12 (the second episode of Case 1) presented thrombocytopenia and increased prothrombin time and activatedpartial...