Ethanol toxicity in a dog due to gin‐soaked sloe berry (Prunus spinosa) ingestion

Abstract

AbstractA 10‐month‐old male Labrador retriever was presented for acute onset altered mentation and inability to walk. The dog was presented with a modified glasgow coma scale (MGCS) of 12 with tachycardia (148 bpm) and hypothermia (37°C). The dog had been normal the previous night then found semi‐comatose at the following morning. Investigations included haematology, biochemistry, C‐reactive protein, magnetic resonance imaging, urine toxicology and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Ten hours after being found the dog passed faeces containing a significant volume of berries. The owner later determined that 750 g of sloe berries soaked in gin were missing from the garden compost heap. Serum ethanol concentrations measured approximately 20 hours after the suspected consumption were 310 mgD/L. The dog was treated with intralipid, intravenous fluid therapy and paracetamol. He was neurologically normal (MGCS = 0) 24 hours later, following diagnosis and treatment. Differential diagnosis and management of the comatose dog and management of ethanol toxicity are discussed.