Author's Response

This letter is a response to Letter to the Editor (Corkery J, Schifano F, Guirguis A. Commentary on: Attafi IM, Albeishy MY, Oraiby ME, Khardali IA, Shaikhain GA, Fageeh MM. Postmortem Distribution of Cathinone and Cathine in Human Biological Specimens in a Case of Death Associated with Khat Chewing. Arab J Forensic Sci Forensic Med. 2018 Jun 7;1(7). Arab Journal of Forensic Sciences & Forensic Medicine. 2019 Dec 31;1(10):1473-1475).

The detection of pentobarbital in euthanized domestic dogs

This preliminary study examined the postmortem distribution of pentobarbital in the remains of three domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) after intravenous administration of pentobarbital sodium to determine optimal sampling practices for veterinary forensic casework. It was thought that pentobarbital would be absent in many traditional toxicological samples, such as bile and urine, because of the brief period between administration and death. However, all samples tested via gas chromatography, coupled with a nitrogen–phosphorus detector, contained quantifiable levels of pentobarbital. These initial results suggest that when the Florida Animal Control Association’s recommended method of euthanasia is used in healthy individuals, pentobarbital extensively distributes throughout the body.