![]() Pets may smell of smoke and have concurrent signs of smoke or fire injury. There is a bright cherry red or bright pink colouring to the mucous membranes and skin. Respiratory failure and death may occur at levels greater than 50-60%.ĭeath due to cardiac arrest may also occur quickly if there are sudden high levels of CO. Blindness and deafness have also been reported. Higher levels lead to irritability, nausea, vomiting, lack of coordination and convulsions. The animal becomes disorientated and loses the will and the capability to escape as levels of CO increase. Similar signs occur in most animals, and parallel the signs shown in humans.Īt 10-20% carboxyhaemoglobin levels, clinical signs of mild dyspnoea, shortness of breath and confusion appear. The symptoms of CO poisoning depend on the percentage of carboxyhaemoglobin in the body. This results in hypoxia in the tissues of the body, most notably organs with a high oxygen demand such as the heart and brain.ĭirect cytotoxicity occurs due to inactivation of intracellular respiratory enzymes by CO as it is delivered to the tissues. It also causes the oxygen dissociation curve to shift to the left, impairing oxygen release at tissue level. ![]() When CO binds with haemoglobin it forms carboxyhaemoglobin, which inhibits haemoglobin's ability to bind oxygen. ![]() Cases in veterinary medicine usually follow house fires or are secondary to generator system dysfunction.Ĭarbon monoxide has an affinity for haemoglobin that is 240 times higher than that of oxygen and is readily absorbed across the alveolar membrane. When inhaled in high enough concentrations, CO leads to a fatal hypoxia. It is produced in fires, from generators and from car exhaust systems. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, poisonous gas weighing lighter than air, which is the result of the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels.
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