Toxicity of different doses of Diclofenac in Black Kites

Abstract The present experimental work was conducted to assess the toxicopathological effects of three different doses of diclofenac sodium in black kites (Milvus migrans) because now there are more opportunities for other animals and raptors including black kites to feed due to population collapse of vulture throughout Asia. It is vital to assess the toxicity of diclofenac sodium in other raptors like black kites. The goal of the current investigation was to determine whether diclofenac sodium is similarly hazardous to black kites as described in vultures. For this study 08 black kites (Milvus migrans) were randomly divided into four groups. The black kites in the control group (n = 02) were not treated with diclofenac sodium and birds in the first (n = 02), second (n = 02) and third (n = 02) groups were administered diclofenac sodium at 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg live body weight of bird/day, respectively, every day for 10 days. The diclofenac sodium-treated black kites displayed clinical manifestations like anorexia, lethargy, depression, shrunken eyes, reduced feed and water intake, in contrast to the clinically healthy appearing birds in the control group. The mortality was 100% in second and third groups. No mortality was seen in control group and treated group first. The control group did not show any lesions of gout but black kites of treated groups showed swelling, congestion, hemorrhage, necrosis, leukocytic infiltration and deposition of white chalky urates on the surface of liver, kidney and heart.