The potential for poisoning in pets is something you should be aware of and know how to react to.
Puppies in particular are naturally curious and should be watched carefully in foreign environments or where there is the potential for poison ingestion.
In contrast, any dog would have the potential of lapping up some antifreeze. Why? Because antifreeze has a sweet taste. It takes very little antifreeze to shut down a dog’s kidney function. If you ever suspect your dog has tasted some antifreeze, no matter how little, call your vet. Whatever you do, don’t wait until your dog shows signs of becoming ill. In the case of antifreeze poisoning, by the time you see physical symptoms it is too late.
Pets can get poisoned in more than one way. They could eat or drink something that is directly or indirectly poison. An example of direct poisoning would be eating antifreeze. An example of indirect poisoning through ingestion would be eating an animal that has been poisoned (a poisoned mouse would be a perfect example). A dog could also be poisoned by being externally contaminated – for example by falling in some creosote. A pet could also inhale toxic fumes and have the poison absorbed into his bloodstream through his lungs.
If you do catch your pet eating something potentially toxic, restrain the animal, remove the object from its mouth and identify the poison. If the package has an ingredients list, secure that and call your veterinarian or poison center for advice on what to do next. Identifying what poison your animal ingests is key to determining the treatment for the animal, so be sure to take a sample of the substance with you to the veterinarian and its container if possible too. Most rat poisons are color coded to tell you (or the vet) what category of poison the active ingredient is in. If you have the opportunity to bring in samples of your pet’s recent vomit or feces those could be helpful as well. If you dog is externally contaminated with a poison (such as creosote), do not let him lick his fur. Also, do not try and treat your dog on your own, bring them to your nearest vet or emergency animal clinic as quickly as possible.
Poisoned pets can have their conditions degrade quickly, so it is imperative that you take them to the vet right away. The vet will initially make sure your pet’s condition is stable and will then seek to make sure the dog isn’t contaminated further. Your vet may need to induce vomiting with an emetic or to flush his throat and mouth with a stomach tube.
If the poison has been identified, a specific antidote may be an option (for example, atropine for insecticide contamination or vitamin K to help in the blood if there has been Warfarin poisoning). Specific treatments aren’t often available, so most of the time veterinarians just try to support the dog and keep his condition stable after they have stopped further contamination.
They may have to give your dog sedatives if he is having fits or to maintain his body temperature. They may have to treat circulatory damage, give your vet intravenous fluids to help get toxins out of his body, treat shock, or make sure his renal function stays stable.
Poisoning is a tough situation to handle with your pet and it is often very hard to identify the poison ingested. Be sure to bring any urine, blood, vomit or feces samples you may have.
One last note… here are a few things you may not consider poisonous — but your dog does:
onions, raisins, grapes, currants, xylitol, chocolate (especially dark or baking), caffeine, tobacco, rhubarb leaves, avacado, persimmons, garlic, macadamia nuts, mushrooms!!
Thanks so much for the tips on things that are poisonous for dogs. I knew about chocolate but had no idea about all the other things. My dog goes crazy for fruit and he’s always getting grapes… not anymore!
Interesting tips. We were burglarized once. One step they did in advance was feed our dog something. We didn’t notice something wrong until it was too late. We thought he was just being a little weak… :-/ Afterwards, we stopped practicing the “toss the food at the dog” habit. We were told that it trains them to check their food first. Can’t say if it’s worked. We’ve never been burglarized twice.
Wow, you hear about chocolate being a poison to pets, but you do not think of ONIONS!!!! Or grapes for that matter. Thank you for the heads up on this. I guess this is one of the many reasons that vets tell you not to feed your dog people food.
We had to take my cat to the vet because he ate a slug, he needed injections and a fair bit of work doing it was really scary. For some reason for about a week after he absolutly stank too, it make me realise how much of a member of the family he and I also descovered a tallent for reading his mind and creating cartoons related to what I think was going on in his head!
If you realize that your dog is got poisoned what you need to do is to act quickly, don’t be Panic. Try to collect the sample of poison within seconds. If it vomits, collect that also. Give the dog active charcoal orally after he vomits. If the dog shows serious problems like breathing difficulty, losing its conscious, wrap dog in a warm blanket and get her to a vet as quickly as possible and give a jist through the phone before you reach there. If your dog doesn’t need immediate medical attention; you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for a $60 consultation fee. The telephone number is (888) 426-4435. Be ready with the dog’s details like breed, age, sex, and weight etc.
I never knew onion,garlic, caffeine, raisin, grapes are poisonous to dog. I only knew about chocolate and mushroom. I will make sure my dog stay away from these poisons.