Poisoning of animals in the Los Angeles area with pesticides during 1977.

During 1977, there were 289 pesticide exposure incidents involving animals that were handled by the Thomas J. Fleming Memorial Poison Information Center in Los Angeles. Almost all of this service was provided to veterinarians and most of the incidents involved dogs. Cases handled by this center are considered typical for small animal practices in urban areas of California. Ingestion was the major route of exposure. As recently as 10 years ago, arsenic, strychnine, and phosphorus were major causes of such poisonings. During 1977, the n-methylcarbamates (27%), anticoagulants (19%), and organo-phosphates (15%) were the major pesticides involved in exposure incidents. Lesser percentages of cases attributed to a specific chemical included: Vacor (5%), metaldehyde (4%), chlorinated hydrocarbons (4%), and arsenicals (4%). A variety of other pesticides, classified as miscellaneous, were also involved in poisonings to a lesser extent.