Poisoned animals common – but preventable

One of the most common emergencies I see is a pet that got into something they shouldn’t have.

One of the most common emergencies I see is a pet that got into something they shouldn’t have.

Many pets have a knack for getting into trouble, either because they are curious or they have a big appetite. I wanted to review a few of the more common poisonings I see in practice and mention a few that aren’t as well known. And since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I’ll include some ideas for avoiding exposure to these dangerous materials.

With gardening season slowly getting in gear, pesticides are a big problem. One of the most common poison emergencies in spring and summer is ingestion of slug bait containing metaldehyde. Slug bait exposure causes seizures which can lead to death if not treated.

There is no antidote for metaldehyde, and treatment includes hospitalization with medication to help decrease seizures and cleaning of the intestinal tract to help decrease absorption of the drug. It is then a matter of time until the body clears the drug, which can take one to two days. Some pets will experience liver problems a week or so after ingestion, so followup testing is always important. Pets often recover from slug bait ingestion when treated quickly.

There are pet safe slug baits available. I use flat beer in a pie pan; the slugs crawl in and dissolve. I haven’t had any of my pets drink the beer yet. But if your dog or cat develops a taste for beer, you’d have to use a different approach; alcohol isn’t good for pets, either.

Rodent baits are another common pet poison. Most rodent baits interfere with blood clotting. Symptoms take a few days to show after ingestion, so often pet owners don’t know their pet ate it. Symptoms are related to bleeding, which might be obvious if external, but often is internal and hidden. The main symptom is weakness from blood loss.

There is an antidote for this type of rodent bait: Vitamin K. Vitamin K is given as an injection first and followed up with weeks of capsules. Serious cases may require blood transfusions, but most pets recover if the treatment is started in a timely manner.

Rodent bait has safer alternatives. There is the good old mouse trap, and my personal rat/mouse control system is a team of tabby cats named Ping and Pong.

Prescription medication ingestion is another problem I often see. Many medications made for pets have food flavoring to make it easier to get the pet to want to take them. Since the medication tastes yummy, some pets will eat the entire bottle if the medication isn’t safely stored between treatments. One of the most common medications a pet will eat is pain medications. Too much pain medication can have serious effects on the stomach, liver and kidney, which can be life-threatening.

I’m not sure why pets eat their owners’ prescriptions. I haven’t come across any tasty medication for people, but still, some pets will chew through the bottle and eat whatever is in it. The effects depend on what the medication is, but if your pet eats your prescription, call your veterinarian right away.

To prevent exposure, always store any prescription medication in a safe place. Child-proof caps aren’t dog-proof; the dog will chew through the bottle, so you have to physically put all prescription bottles out of your pet’s reach.

The number one call around any holiday involving candy is chocolate. Everyone knows that chocolate isn’t good for pets. But not all chocolate is the same. Toxicity depends on how much toxic substance is in the chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of the toxin. Therefore, a smaller volume of the darker chocolates is needed to be eaten to cause symptoms. The symptoms for low doses of chocolate are usually related to the sugar and fat consumption, so vomiting and diarrhea are commonly seen after eating chocolate.

Signs of severe toxicity are related to the caffeine and caffeine-like toxins and include hyperactivity, seizures and heart arrhythmias.

Most calls I get about chocolate ingestion involve milk chocolate, which is lower in toxins, so we rarely need to treat. But when baking chocolate is involved, treatment is often necessary. Once again, the best prevention is avoiding exposure. Don’t keep chocolate where your pet can get to it. If your pet does eat some chocolate, call your vet to see if treatment at the hospital is needed or if you just have to watch for some unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms for a few days.

I’d like to mention a few other less common poisonings that can easily be prevented:

• Lilies cause kidney failure in pets that eat the plant. We see this mostly in cats around Easter. So if you have a cat, don’t have lilies where the cat can chew on the plant.

• Grapes and raisins can cause problems, although the cause isn’t completely understood. Some pets will experience kidney failure after eating grapes or raisins.

• Xyitol is a sugar substitute found in numerous human food products. It causes pets to not be able to control their blood sugar level and lead to liver disease.

• Onions and garlic can cause anemia in some pets, so avoid foods with any form of onion or garlic.

• Human baby food often has onion powder in it, and some people will feed their pet baby food for long periods of time.

• If you must feed any human food to your pet, read the label and avoid foods that contain xylitol and onion or garlic products.

Melanie Caviness is a veterinarian and owner of Wilderness Veterinary Clinic. She can be reached at wildernessvet1@qwest.net