Exame cromatográfico de urina para o diagnóstico de intoxicação por Cannabis sativa L. na clínica médica de pequenos animais

Abstract

Intoxications occur with great frequency in the medical clinic of small animals. Animals can accidentally become intoxicated when, without human supervision, they ingest toxic products for them or even when the guardian, without prior knowledge, offers improper food or wrongly administering medication, causing toxicosis. Marijuana is a plant used as a narcotic substance, as well as in medicinal treatments. Due to possible access, pets can come into contact with the plant and become intoxicated, requiring urgent medical intervention. For the effective evaluation of the use of drugs for this purpose, it is necessary to prove intoxication by the causative agent, using diagnostic tests for this purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of metabolites that indicate marijuana intoxication in dogs that were admitted to urgent and emergency care at a veterinary clinic in the city of João Pessoa. Patients with a history of intoxication were treated, presenting clinical signs suggestive of intoxication by marijuana, with no exclusion of race, age or gender. The consultations were carried out from September 2021 to May 2022, totaling nine months of research. Initially, anamnesis was carried out with the tutor and the treatment of clinical signs according to the general condition of the patients. Regardless of the source of intoxication, biological samples were collected for hematological and urinary tests. A rapid test was used to detect the presence of THC metabolites after 6 hours of hospitalization. Patients were classified according to the result of the chromatographic test as “negative/controls” and “positive”. Blood and urine samples were collected. Hematological analysis evaluates the presence or absence of anemia, leukocytosis or leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, serum biochemistry evaluates liver and kidney biomarkers. The urinalysis evaluated color, density and PH, where no alteration had the alteration altered with marijuana intoxication. The chromatographic evaluation for the detection of THC metabolites in the urine, carried out with the objective of confirming marijuana intoxication in dogs, using the PocT COC/THC test Assure Tech Westlake Eco Zone/China (Registration MS ANVISA80885650015/ Minas Gerais- Brazil) proved to be effective.