Brodifacoum toxicity

James, S.B., Raphael, B.L., Cook, R.A. (1998). Brodifacoum toxicity and treatment in a white-winged wood duck (Cairina scutulata). J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 29(3) 324-7. 

Eason, C.T. and Spurr, E.B. (1995). Review of toxicity and impacts of brodifacoum on non target wildlife in New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Zoology 22, 371-379. 

This group of compounds have a 4-hydroxycoumarin ring with different side-chain substituents at the 3-position. Commonly used superwarfarin anticoagulant rodentieides in this group are bromadiolone, brodifacoum, coumate-tralyl, coumafuryl, and difenacoum. Brodifacoum, difena-coum and bromadiolone are three of the most commonly used rodentieides around the world. Brodifacoum is the most frequently used rodenticide in the USA. These rodentieides share most of their physical and chemical characteristics, as well as their toxicokinetics, toxicody-namics, and mechanism of toxicity, and the medical toxicological management is the same for all superwarfarins. 

Cats may be more resistant to the toxic effects of bro-difacoum and difenacoum than dogs. Cases of abortion and hemorrhage in sheep and goats after misuse of brodifacoum have been reported (Jones, 1996 Watt, 2005). 

Greaves et al, 1982 James et al, 1998 Mahmoud and Redfern, 1981 Mathur and Prakash, 1980 Newton et al, 1990 Stone et al, 1994). The most commonly affected species are birds such as great homed owls, bam owls, eastern screech-owls, golden eagles, red-tailed hawks. Cooper s hawks, and crows. Bird species varied in their susceptibility. Other wild animals may be exposed such as polecats, wild cats, foxes, etc. Brodifacoum was highly toxic for fish when tested as a technical material. 

Toxic substances including sulfur mustard, an extreme irritant and blister agent used as a military poison ricin, a protein poison isolated from the castor bean rodenticidal tetra-methylenedisulfotetramine, now banned from commerce and rodenticide brodifacoum. 

Convalescing animals should be administered phytonadione daily for at least 21-30 days, because some rodentickies (e.g., brodifacoum, diphadnone) may cause prolonged anticoagulaiion (e.g., 30 days). In addition, prolonged therapy provides a margin of safe when the toxic principle is not known. 

There is variation in the susceptibility of species to brodifacoum. Dogs are susceptible and are commonly exposed to potentially toxic quantities of brodifacoum (Chalermchaikit et al., 1993). 

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