Winter poisons
A fair percentage of the emergency visits to our small animal clinic involve accidental poisonings. These can frequently result in death and certainly cause distress to the animal and significant bills for the client. The three most common substances involved in accidental poisonings are rat bait, slug bait and antifreeze.
Rat bait
Dogs that have eaten rat bait lose the ability to clot their blood and subsequently bleed into their lungs, abdomen, joints and/or muscles. The poison works by reducing the liver's ability to recycle vitamin K, which is essential to the process of blood clotting. It takes two to five days after ingestion for any symptoms to occur. There is a long list of symptoms that could indicate poisoning. The most common of these symptoms are very pale pink or white-coloured gums, lethargy, bleeding from the nose, difficulty breathing with a soft cough, and/or lameness. If you suspect or see your pet eat any bait, it is essential that we induce vomiting as soon as possible, before the poison is absorbed. The antidote to rat bait is vitamin K - this treatment is usually effective but can be very expensive ($50 to $1500+) and may need to be continued for two to six weeks. Dogs that have been poisoned and have bled extensively may require an emergency blood transfusion.
Slug and snail bait
The most common and lower-priced brands of slug baits contain metaldehyde in a blue/green pellet which also contains soya bean meal, apple, rice or oats. These contain a ‘bittering' agent but still remain attractive to cats and dogs. Signs of poisoning occur within minutes of ingestion. These can include vomiting, diarrhoea, an increased respiratory rate and drooling. As the signs progress, there are muscle tremors, ‘frenzied' behaviour, hyperthermia (increased body temperature), loss of coordination, continuous seizures and death. There is no antidote to metaldehyde so we can only treat the symptoms and support the patient while they are affected. The sooner we start treatment, the more success we achieve - however, some animals will still die, even with intensive care.
Antifreeze
The toxic ingredient in antifreeze is ethylene glycol. It only takes a small sip of antifreeze to poison your pet. Cats are approximately four times as sensitive to the poison as dogs. One to two teaspoons of it will poison a cat and three tablespoons is enough to kill a medium-size dog. Within thirty minutes after drinking antifreeze, your pet will seem drunk, may vomit and drink and urinate excessively. This will last up to six hours when it appears the problem is over. However it isn't, as the poison has now reached the liver and kidneys where it will cause long-term damage, for which there is no treatment. Most cases are fatal unless dealt with immediately.
You can help prevent any of these poisonings by, when possible, using less toxic pesticides; storing your bait carefully; always putting your bait away after using it; dog-proofing your vegetable plot; checking bait frequently for any signs of disturbance from your dogs; burn or bury dead rodents as dogs can be poisoned by eating them; and checking your antifreeze isn't leaking from your car.
If you suspect your pet may have ingest any of these poisons, please contact Totally Vets immediately - the faster we start treatment, the better the outcome for you and your pet.
