Penitrems are mycotoxins produced by Penicillium crustosum, and other spp.
Mouldy walnuts. Other mouldy foodstuffs have been implicated overseas.
Dose is unknown.
Unknown, but possibly blockade of BK channels as for lolitrem.
Tremor
Necrosis of cerebellar granular cells and Purkinje cells.
Clinical signs and history. Detection of penitrems in serum or urine would be definitive, but assays are not routinely available in NZ.
Metaldehyde, organophosphates, strychnine, phosphides, epilepsy, encephalitis and some types of metabolic disease.
Symptomatic care (and possibly diazepam) should be provided for animals with mild disease. More severe disease may require anaesthesia and IPPV.
Most dogs recover fully in 4 days. Animals which die usually do so from respiratory arrest.
Munday, JS et al., Presumptive tremorgenic mycotoxicosis in a dog in New Zealand, after eating mouldy walnuts. NZVJ,56(3), 145 - 147, 2008
Barker, AK et al., Tremorgenic Mycotoxicosis in Dogs, Compendium: Continuing Education for Veterinarians, E1 - E6, 2013