WolfmanHarris Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 So my fiance was late coming home from work and I gave her a call to see what was up (I mean dinner was sitting in the fridge uncooked and my tummy was getting - I mean I was worried. ). She tells me she's at the vet's with the dog. A friend had come by her work and volunteered to take our dog for the day to play with her dogs at her place and apparently my dog Sierra and a friend went exploring and found a bottle of weedex and chewed it open. The two dogs took a rush trip to the vets. Turns out it wasn't that bad and the vet just gave them both Apomorphine (to induce emesis) and activated charcoal and said to monitor them overnight. Of course Sierra seems happy as a clam for the experience and just wants to lounge on the couch and have her belly rubbed (about standard for my hound-mix mutt). So it looks like no harm no foul. Got me thinking though. They didn't give atropine; I trust because the vet didn't think she needed it (and I do trust my Vet). Vet's must have to have exceedingly good physical assessment skills to assess and treat a patient who can't tell them about their symptoms or history. Might be some things we could learn from Veterinary medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobey Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 In organophosphate poisoning high doses of Atropine is given to reduce/eliminate the s&s of SLUDGE, if thier is none present, they do not get the drug. I totally agree about vets, in our profession we are only really learning about one species, imagine how complex vet school is! Glad to hear your dog is OK!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroeze Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Exactly what mobey said. Atropine is not a cure for organophosphate poinsioning. It is merely something that will hopefully limit the symptoms so you don't die from them before your body can cure it as it were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfmanHarris Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Interesting and good to know. This hasn't been made clear in class. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 To my knowledge, there shouldn't be be an organophosphate in any product designed to to kill plants. Organophosphates are neurotoxins. Plants do not have nervous systems the way pests (and humans) do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfmanHarris Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 They've got many uses, which is why you're more likely to see an organophosphate poisoning on a farm than from a terrorist attack. Irrelevant article that mentions organophosphate herbicide Wiki on Organophosphates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 They've got many uses, which is why you're more likely to see an organophosphate poisoning on a farm than from a terrorist attack. Irrelevant article that mentions organophosphate herbicide Wiki on Organophosphates The article is about glyphosate, which is "Roundup". In the article they are using "organophosphate" as a chemical term, as opposed to the common medical usage as synonym for acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Glyphosate, for example, is incredibly safe for humans and other animals. You can be exposed to huge ammounts of the stuff without any toxicity because it is an inhibitor of a metabolic pathway (aromatic amino acid synthesis) not found in animals (it is found in non-genetically engineered plants and some microorganisms). This is similar to reason acetylcholiesterase inhibitors are harmless to plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfmanHarris Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Okay. I think I follow so far. Organophosphate as used in chemistry refers to multiple chemicals that can be used in various setting, but when we refer to organophosphate poisoning, that is specific to a type of organophosphate (acetylcholineesterase inhibitor)? Do these fall into an identifiable category or categories? How would one identify, other than signs and symptoms, whether an exposure to an insecticide, herbicide or other chemical will result in organophosphate poisoning and thus anticipate complications? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfmanHarris Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Umm... chemistry not being my strong suit, could you provide some context for that or a link so I can read up myself? I've got a 100 level Chem book here somewhere so I can hopefully make sense of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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