Decontamination and Toxicological Analyses of the Poisoned Patient

Retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of xylazine for inducing emesis in cats: 48 cats (2011–2015)

“…The median dose of xylazine used was 0.49 mg/kg. The recommended dose range for inducing emesis is 0.44–1.0 mg/kg . Experimental studies have suggested that higher doses more reliably induce emesis .…”

“…Alpha 2 ‐adrenergic agonists are the agent of choice for inducing emesis in cats, but are not recommended for use in dogs due to their lack of effectiveness . Other agents that have been suggested for emesis induction in cats include cefazolin, hydromorphone with midazolam, and dexmedetomidine, another alpha 2 ‐adrenergic agonist .…”

Intoxication in dogs and cats: a basic approach to decontamination

“…Gastric lavage (Fig 3) is not commonly employed in intoxicated human patients, with studies showing that recovery of gastric contents declines rapidly ater one hour from ingestion. Animal studies suggest a similar time frame with documented mean toxicant recovery ater one hour of between 8.6 and 13 per cent (Lee 2019). Therefore, there is no beneit to performing lavage over standard emesis in most patients.…”

“…While sources vary on the appropriate time frame to induce emesis, the sooner emesis can be performed after toxicant ingestion the better – in several canine studies recovery of toxicant from the stomach was between 17 and 62 per cent of the total dose ingested if emesis was induced within one hour (Lee 2019). This may well require prioritising these patients over others in the waiting room and rapidly obtaining a history and performing a physical examination to maximise the efficacy of emesis induction.…”