as promised we are going to be doing lots of blogs about all the stuff you need to know as a pet owner.
This blog is about some of the most serious poisons/toxins that our pets can come across but we have focused and the things we don't want our dogs and cats getting a hold of. We will go into a bit of detail with some of the most common poisons but the general rule of thumb is that if your pet has come in to contact with anything that you think may cause them harm, ring the vet as soon as possible for advice.
Do Not Wait For Symptoms To Start!!! Act Before This Happens!!!
Some of the common toxins that you may have heard of are;
- Chocolate
- Raisins / anything from the grape family
- Vermin control products e.g. rat poison, slug pellets, ant killer
- Lilies
- Poinsettas
- Daffodils
- Adder bite
- Many human medications including, paracetamol, some anti-inflammatory drugs, (always check with your vet)
- Blue/Green algae
- Caffeine
- Ethylene glycol (anti-freeze)
- Some nuts, including peanuts, macadamia
- Nicotine
- Salt (do not make any animal sick with salt water)
- Toad venom
- Vitamin D
- Xylitol (found in chewing gum)
- Dog flea treatments can be fatal if applied to cats
In most cases of poison/toxin ingestion our first aim is to rid the body of said poison, which is done by given an injection of apomorphine in the scruff of the neck. This can only really be done up to 2 hours after ingestion as the stomach will have likely emptied after this time. We will often recommend Intra-Venous Fluid Therapy which is exactly the same as when we are put on a drip at the hospital, the aim of this is to dilute and flush the toxins from the body and to support the kidneys are they are often the target organ for poisons to affect. In some cases we will also advise charcoal ingestion as it acts as a sponge for the toxins and absorbs them before they can cause harm to the body.
Depending on what poison and when it was ingested and will determine what treatment we recommend, but as stated above DO NOT wait for symptoms to start!!! Act straightaway!!!
We also induce vomiting when animals have eaten things they shouldn't such as socks, underwear and all the other strange and wonderful things our pets think are a good idea to eat. The only time we wouldn't induce vomiting is when the eaten product may cause further harm on its way back up the food pipe e.g. caustic substances like bleach or anything sharp like a needle.
Below is some information on the top 3 poisons we see in our practice;
Below is some information on the top 3 poisons we see in our practice;
Chocolate - The toxic ingredient in chocolate is theobromine, which is found in cocoa. Therefore the higher the cocoa content the more toxic it is, so dark chocolate in more harmful that milk chocolate. Theobromine increases the heart rate and affects the nervous system.
Symptoms - vomiting, increased water intake, excitement - if left untreated tremors and seizures can develop. Cardiac arrest is the most severe outcome but also kidney failure can develop, which in its own right can be fatal.
Symptoms - vomiting, increased water intake, excitement - if left untreated tremors and seizures can develop. Cardiac arrest is the most severe outcome but also kidney failure can develop, which in its own right can be fatal.
Raisins/Grape family - These food types are very dangerous to dogs and cats, the ingredient that causes the harm is not yet known but even small doses can prove fatal. Grape and raisin ingestion causes acute renal disease (sudden onset kidney failure).
Symptoms - lack of urination or only urinating small amounts, Vomiting and or diarrhea, reduced or loss of appetite, dehydration (this can be identified by a skin tent of sticky gums), lethargy or weakness.
Lilies - All parts of the lilie are poisonous - It is quite well known that lilies are poisonous to cats but they can also be poisonous to dogs too. The general rule of thumb is that if you have pets - don't have lilies... Lilies are actually my favorite flower but I never have them in the house because of Charlie and Dobby, my dog and cat.
Symptoms - drooling, vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite), dehydration and again because it's the kidneys that are affected we see lack of urination.
Probably the best advice we can give is that if your dog or cat has eaten anything that you are unsure is safe or not, give us a call. There are times that even we don't know but we have access to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service who are always on hand to help out.
Stay safe :))
Symptoms - lack of urination or only urinating small amounts, Vomiting and or diarrhea, reduced or loss of appetite, dehydration (this can be identified by a skin tent of sticky gums), lethargy or weakness.
Lilies - All parts of the lilie are poisonous - It is quite well known that lilies are poisonous to cats but they can also be poisonous to dogs too. The general rule of thumb is that if you have pets - don't have lilies... Lilies are actually my favorite flower but I never have them in the house because of Charlie and Dobby, my dog and cat.
Symptoms - drooling, vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite), dehydration and again because it's the kidneys that are affected we see lack of urination.
Probably the best advice we can give is that if your dog or cat has eaten anything that you are unsure is safe or not, give us a call. There are times that even we don't know but we have access to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service who are always on hand to help out.
Stay safe :))
