Clinical protocol for the care of ophidiotoxicosis in canines in Colombia

Abstract

Every year, according to the World Health Organization, nearly 5,000,000 million accidents due to snake bites are reported worldwide, of which it is estimated that 33.3% to 50% of cases present as poisoning. Ophidic accidents that include ophidiotoxicosis have care protocols of therapy with antivenom serums, which vary according to the genus and species of the snake. Although in Colombia there are protocols for the care of ophidiotoxicosis in humans described by health entities, the canine clinic lacks this information. The aim of this systematic review is to build a medical protocol for ophidiotoxicosis in canines  based on information reported in Colombia or tropical countries with which similar venomous snakes are shared. For this action, the PRISMA protocol was used; in total, 57 articles and 10 official documents on protocols for the care of ophidic accidents in humans were reviewed, which allowed the possible to classify snakebite accidents in group 1 (Bothrops, Lachesis and Crotalus accidents) and group 2 (Micrurus accident), also establish a medical protocol for ophidiotoxicosis in each of the groups indicated in canines, depending on the severity of the clinical and paraclinical condition. In conclusion, the clinical and paraclinical signs of the canine, vasculotoxic or neurotoxic, allow us to identify the group to which the aggressor snake belongs (group 1 or group 2, respectively), and their severity guides the selection and dosage of antivenom therapy specific for the clinical management of ophidiotoxicosis in canines.