Fluroxene Toxicity in Dogs

Abstract

Oral administration of trifluroethanol (TFE) to dogs was found to produce vomiting, bloody diarrhea, convulsions, and death. This syndrome was indistinguishable from that produced by a 4-hour fluroxene anesthesia at 1.5 MAC. Ethyl alcohol given with fluroxene anesthesia increased survival and decreased morbidity of dogs. Since ethyl alcohol is metabolized by enzymes involved in fluroxene metabolism, ethyl alcohol may compete with fluroxene or a metabolite of the latter for metabolism, suggesting that the toxicity of fluroxene is related to metabolism of fluroxene to TFE and possibly to a metabolite of the latter compound.