Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Every year many dogs in Sweden are bitten by the adder, a venomous snake (Vipera berus). Despite the fact that adder bites are so common in dogs there have been few investigations made that study the effects of treatment with glucocorticoids, a drug that is commonly used. We have carried out a literature study concerning adder bites in dogs and a prospective study where case history, clinical signs and treatment have been recorded in dogs that were presented at two veterinary hospitals after a confirmed or suspected adder bite. Fifty three dogs were included in the study out of which 22 were treated with glucocorticoids. In our study, the group of dogs treated with glucocorticoids was compared with the group of dogs that did not receive glucocorticoid treatment by the owner or on arrival at the clinic. Clinical signs including general condition and local swelling were recorded at four occasions during an observation period of about three weeks. There were 21 males and 32 females and the most common breeds were German shepherd and Labrador retriever. The mean age was four years. Seventy four % of the dogs arrived to the veterinary hospital within three hours after the adder bite. Seventeen % of the dogs had been treated with glucocorticoids before arrival at the veterinary hospital. On arrival at the veterinary hospital 73 % of the dogs had some degree of disturbed general condition. Envenomations occurred most commonly in the head and nose (77 %). Twenty eight % of the dogs were treated with glucocorticoids by the veterinarian at arrival to the veterinary hospital. Sixty eight % of the dogs were treated with analgesics and 19 % of the dogs were treated with antibiotics. All of the dogs were treated with fluids. No deaths occurred during the observation period. All the dogs hade some degree of swelling over the area of the adder bite on arrival at the veterinary hospital and this swelling had a tendency to increase over the first 24 hours.
As concerns glucocorticoid treatment there was no significant difference in development of swelling or general condition between groups. However, there was a trend that the proportions of dogs with a higher degree of local swelling at presentation were larger in the groups that were treated with glucocorticoids compared to the untreated group of dogs.

Varje år blir många hundar i Sverige bitna av huggormen – Vipera berus. Trots att huggormsbett är så vanligt hos hund finns få undersökningar som studerat effekterna av behandling med glukokortikoider som är vanligt förekommande. Vi har genomfört en litteraturstudie avseende huggormsbett hos hund samt en prospektiv studie där anamnes, klinisk status samt typ av behandling registrerats på hundar som anlänt till djursjukhus efter konstaterat eller misstänkt huggormsbett. Vi har bland dessa hundar jämfört en glukokortikoidbehandlad grupp och en icke glukokortikoidbehandlad grupp hundar avseende allmäntillstånd och svullnad i bettområdet under en observationsperiod på ca tre veckor. Femtiotre hundar ingick i studien, 21 hanar och 32 tikar. De vanligaste raserna var Schäfer och Labrador Retriever. Medelåldern var fyra år. Sjuttiofyra % av hundarna anlände till djursjukhus inom 3 timmar efter huggormsbettet. Sjutton % av hundarna hade behandlats med glukokortikoider innan ankomst till djursjukhuset. Vid ankomst till djursjukhus hade 73 % av hundarna någon grad av påverkat allmäntillstånd. Den vanligaste lokalisationen för bettet var huvud/nos (77 %). Tjugoåtta % av hundarna behandlades med glukokortikoider av veterinär vid ankomst till djursjukhus. Sextioåtta % av hundarna gavs smärtlindrande behandling i form av opioider och 19 % av hundarna behandlades med antibiotika. Samtliga hundar behandlades med någon form av vätsketerapi. Inga dödsfall inträffade under observationsperioden. Samtliga hundar hade någon grad av svullnad i området för huggormsbettet vid ankomst till djursjukhuset. Denna svullnad tenderade att öka under de första 24 timmarna efter bettet. Vid statistisk bearbetning av materialet kunde vi inte upptäcka någon signifikant skillnad i utveckling av svullnad eller påverkan på allmäntillståndet mellan grupperna avseende glukokortikoidbehandling. Vi kunde dock se en trend mot att andelen hundar med högre grad av svullnad i området för huggormsbettet vid ankomst var större i gruppen som behandlades med glukokortikoider än gruppen hundar som inte behandlades med glukokortikoider.