{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T00:03:42Z","timestamp":1780617822966,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768003200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Rocuronium bromide is a non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) commonly used in anesthesia for its rapid onset and intermediate duration of action. While its therapeutic use has been well-documented in humans and experimentally in dogs, this report describes the first known case of its malicious use in the fatal intoxication of a canine. Herein we describe the case of a six-year-old male Plott Hound found deceased under suspicious circumstances. Postmortem investigation revealed focal hemorrhages near potential injection sites, and toxicological analysis via liquid chromatography\u2013tandem mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of rocuronium in muscle tissue, heart blood, and urine. The dog had no surgical history or indication for anesthesia. However, rocuronium concentrations mirrored those seen in anesthetized human patients under ventilatory support. The owner, a licensed pharmacist, was suspected of drug theft and aggravated animal abuse. This case highlights the lethality of NMBAs when misused outside of the clinical setting and further underscores a collaborative, multi-institutional, multidisciplinary approach to veterinary forensic investigations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkag005","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,7]],"date-time":"2026-01-07T12:47:18Z","timestamp":1767790038000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Malicious poisoning of a canine with the neuromuscular blocking agent rocuronium: a case report with postmortem quantitation"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"50","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4077-5014","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John P","family":"Buchweitz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine , Lansing, MI 48910,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine , East Lansing, MI 48824,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justin A","family":"Zyskowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine , Lansing, MI 48910,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kevin","family":"Cajigas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Harford County Sheriff\u2019s Office , Bel Air, MD 21014,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jason W","family":"Brooks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Science Program\/Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, PA 16802,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"919","DOI":"10.2165\/00003495-200161070-00003","article-title":"Newer neuromuscular blocking agents","volume":"61","author":"Sparr","year":"2001","journal-title":"Drugs"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tvjl.2005.11.014","article-title":"Clinical observations on the use of the muscle relaxant rocuronium bromide in the dog","volume":"173","author":"Auer","year":"2007","journal-title":"Vet J"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1111\/vaa.12028","article-title":"Use of neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium bromide for intubation in cats","volume":"40","author":"Moreno-Sala","year":"2013","journal-title":"Vet Anaesth Analg"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"174","DOI":"10.2165\/00003088-199631030-00002","article-title":"Clinical pharmacokinetics of rocuronium bromide","volume":"31","author":"Khuenl-Brady","year":"1996","journal-title":"Clin Pharmacokinet"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1007\/BF03018732","article-title":"Edrophonium effectively antagonizes neuromuscular block at the laryngeal adductors induced by rapacuronium, rocuronium and cisatracurium, but not mivacurium","volume":"50","author":"Suzuki","year":"2003","journal-title":"Can J Anaesth"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"569","DOI":"10.1213\/01.ane.0000248224.42707.48","article-title":"Sugammadex reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade: a comparison with neostigmine\u2013glycopyrrolate and edrophonium\u2013atropine","volume":"104","author":"Sacan","year":"2007","journal-title":"Anesth Analg"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"518","DOI":"10.2298\/SARH0512518N","article-title":"Suicide by intravenous injection of rocuronium-bromide: case report","volume":"133","author":"Nikolic","year":"2005","journal-title":"Srp Arh Celok Lek"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.2165\/00128415-201012900-00129","article-title":"Rocuronium bromide death following suspected inadvertent","volume":"1290","author":"Hussain","year":"2010","journal-title":"Reactions (Basel)"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1080\/00085030.1998.10757126","article-title":"Case report; rocuronium related fatality","volume":"31","author":"Warren","year":"1998","journal-title":"Can Soc Forensic Sci J"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.4323\/rjlm.2018.62","article-title":"Lethal injection with the muscle relaxant rocuronium","volume":"26","author":"Hess","year":"2018","journal-title":"Rom J Leg Med"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101915","DOI":"10.1016\/j.legalmed.2021.101915","article-title":"Suicide committed by a paramedic using a cocktail of drugs: morphine, etomidate, diazepam and rocuronium. Case report and review of literature","volume":"52","author":"Sm\u0119dra","year":"2021","journal-title":"Leg Med (Tokyo)"},{"key":"2026060419191429000_bkag005-B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.1007\/BF03017322","article-title":"Rocuronium pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship under stable propofol or isoflurane anesthesia","volume":"49","author":"Dragne","year":"2002","journal-title":"Can J Anaesth."}],"container-title":["Journal of Analytical Toxicology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jat\/advance-article-pdf\/doi\/10.1093\/jat\/bkag005\/66328169\/bkag005.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"am","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jat\/article-pdf\/50\/6\/bkag005\/66328169\/bkag005.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jat\/article-pdf\/50\/6\/bkag005\/66328169\/bkag005.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T23:19:17Z","timestamp":1780615157000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jat\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/jat\/bkag005\/8418583"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jat\/bkag005","relation":{},"ISSN":["0146-4760","1945-2403"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0146-4760","type":"print"},{"value":"1945-2403","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"article-number":"bkag005"}}