Case Report: Successful Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Therapy for Canine Amphetamine Toxicosis

A 4-year-old, female-spayed, mixed breed dog, weighing 24.2 kg, was presented for acute ingestion of ~12.3 mg/kg of Adderall XR(Ⓡ), an extended-release amphetamine medication. In dogs, the oral median lethal dose for amphetamines ranges anywhere from 9–11 mg/kg to 20–27 mg/kg. On presentation, the patient was agitated, tachycardic and hypertensive. Initial treatment was instituted with intravenous lipid emulsion (IVLE) therapy, and baseline and post-treatment amphetamine concentrations were quantified in serum and plasma. In both serum and plasma, post-IVLE concentrations of amphetamine were lower 1 h after treatment and IVLE was the only treatment instituted during this time. The dog improved significantly while in hospital and was discharged <24 h after presentation. This is the first known reported use of IVLE for treatment of amphetamine toxicosis with documented decreases in both serum and plasma amphetamine levels shortly after administration of IVLE.