The stingray, a seemingly harmless cartilaginous fish, is capable of causing painful injuries and envenomation in humans. There is no known peer reviewed case report involving dogs in a veterinary journal at the time of writing this case report. Poor management of the condition or overzealous attempts to remove embedded barbs has resulted in complications in humans. This case report presents an effective approach to the treatment of stingray envenomation in dogs which is likely to be reproducible in other domestic animals. Clearly elucidated are the principles behind antibiotic therapy in the treatment of stingray injuries and the benefit of lignocaine injection in cases of embedded stingers. There is a need for case reports to enhance clinical knowledge of stingray management in domestic animals. This data, thus, serves as an impetus for future research in this area of veterinary medicine.

The Stingray is an aquatic animal found worldwide; they are dorsoventrally flattened cartilaginous fishes belonging to the suborder myliobatoidei and the order myliobatiformes. There are 7 families, among which is the Dasyatidae (the whip stingrays). Stingrays are found along the west coast of Africa, the Dasyatis margarita and Dasyatis chrysonota can be found in the coast of Senegal and Gambia. They possess a distinctive tail with a barb[1]like stinger projecting dorso-caudally. This is used as a defensive weapon rather than an offensive one; they are usually not aggressive in nature.

In some coastal areas in Gambia, these fishes sometimes wash ashore or are caught in fishing nets. It is a common practice amongst dog owners living near the coast to walk their dogs along the beaches. These dogs encounter various marine animals while nosing around in the beach or swimming in the open sea. During this period, they sometimes encounter the stingrays and could get stung. As reported in all published case reports, human stingray injuries and envenomation are painful; they often lead to tissue necrosis and wound sepsis. They are usually accidental during swimming or fishing, most of the injuries are sustained on the lower extremities. Based on the clinical experience, among the few cases encountered, the common site of envenomation in dogs in Gambia is the submandibular area. This is a logical observation, as most of these unpleasant encounters occur when they are nosing around on the beach. It must be noted that stingray envenomation in dogs is a rare clinical occurrence in Gambia likely due to poor reporting or misdiagnosis.

Almost the entire report of stingray injuries and envenomation in scientific journals are human cases, only a few reports are related to animals. These few reports are of laboratory animals in research scenarios, except for a case report involving a loggerhead turtle.

The stingray barb has sharp, pointed and caudally directed spines on both edges. The anatomy of the stinger makes it a mechanically efficient piercing device. An overzealous attempt to remove an embedded stinger will result in severe injury. Control of pain and infection is key in the treatment of stingray injuries. The stinger possesses a groove that is covered with venom secreting epithelial secretory cells. The venom contains certain enzymes and the neurotransmitter, serotonin. While some of these enzymes induce apoptosis, the serotonin component of the venom is likely responsible for marked muscle contraction generating the infamous pain associated with stingray envenomation. The venom and the induced trauma set off a cascade of inflammatory responses, which need to be controlled to avoid serious tissue damage. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and opioids have been used successfully in the management of this inflammatory response in stingray injury [16]. Heat immersion has also been used in human cases but the mechanism of action is still debatable. A single injection of tolfenamic acid, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with good safety margin (LD50 200 mg – 1000 mg/Kg b.w) combined with local anaesthetic, was effective in this study.

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