Epidemiologic and diagnostic considerations of strychnine poisoning in the dog

Records pertaining to 261 cases of canine strychnine poisoning during a 15-year period (1968 to 1982) were retrieved from the toxicology laboratory files at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Strychnine poisoning occurred more often in younger dogs, with 61% of the cases being in animals less than 2 years old. Large breeds of dogs and male dogs were affected more often. The German Shepherd Dog was the most common breed of dog affected (14.6%). Numbers of cases were similar for urban and rural districts. About 15% to 20% of the cases were recorded as multiple occurrences of strychnine poisoning. Chemical analysis of tissues and ingesta containing strychnine indicated that the highest concentrations were in stomach contents, 229.0 +/- 21.1 micrograms/g, followed by the liver, 18.1 +/- 3.2 micrograms/g and the kidney, 14.6 +/- 1.0 micrograms/g.