Clinical managment of suspected organophosphate poisoning in Gyps vulture in Assam, India

A striking 97% population decline of the three endemic species of vultures in South Asia has been recorded since early 1990 with a possible threat of global extinction. This article puts into record of ten independent episodes of mass mortality and morbidity of Gyps vultures attended by veterinarians of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) within a period of about 12 months in eastern and central parts of Assam. All these were episodes of secondary acute toxicity suspected to be caused by consumption carcasses of livestock and dogs drenched with organo-phosphate or organo-chlorine pesticides. From the description of the clinical symptoms and history given by the villagers, it is also suspected that a few of the stray dogs might have been affected with rabies or canine distemper. Upon clinical examination, the birds under comatose condition showed severe dehydration about10% (neck skin turgour test), hyper salivation, emesis, open mouthed breathing, greenish diarrhoea, cyanotic colouration of exposed skin, curled toe paralysis, squatting on sternum and in some birds mild to severe corneal opacity. The treatment protocol began with gastric lavage using oral rehydration salts like Sodium chloride (0.9% solution) to facilitate regurgitation of stomach content in order to prevent further absorption of the suspected poison. All affected birds were treated with Atropine sulphate (@0.04 mg/kg body weight) injected intramuscularly in pectoral muscle at 12 hours interval (Harrison G.J 1983), followed by the administration of Ringer’s lactate (@200 to 250 ml BD/bird) intravenously for 3 consecutive days (Abou-Madi et al. 1992) and Dexamethasone Sodium @ 1 mg/kg body weight stat (Burns et al. 1988). Most bird with moderate symptoms responded to treatment within 24 hours. Signs of recovery included gaining consciousness, standing, reduction in emesis, diminished salivation, and disappearance cyanotic changes of exposed skin (respiratory distress, hypoxia). After second day of treatment, they were fed on chevon @500-600 g/day/bird. Subsequently after behavioural enrichment they were release back to wild.