Pet Toxins & Poisoning

Signs, Prevention & Samples

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Pet Toxins & Poisoning

Signs, Prevention & Samples

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Your pet may intentionally ingest a toxin, or become poisoned through accidental exposure.

Reasons To Get Dental Check-Ups

  • Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
  • Excessive salivation
  • Depression/lethargy
  • Changes in behavior (anxious, shivering)
  • Painful abdomen

  • Seizures
  • Staggering/unconsciousness
  • Bleeding or bruising
  • Breathing difficulties (panting, gasping)

Your pet may intentionally ingest a toxin, or become poisoned through accidental exposure.

Reasons To Get Dental Check-Ups

  • Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
  • Excessive salivation
  • Depression/lethargy
  • Changes in behavior (anxious, shivering)
  • Painful abdomen
  • Seizures
  • Staggering/unconsciousness
  • Bleeding or bruising
  • Breathing difficulties (panting, gasping)

Ethylene glycol is most commonly found in antifreeze, but can also be found in some detergents, paints, polishes, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Because of its sweet taste it is one of the more common poisonings seen in dogs and cats. A mere four ounces of ethylene glycol can be fatal to a 60-pound dog or 1-1/2 teaspoons to an average 10-pound cat. Even walking through an antifreeze contaminated puddle, then licking the paws can be enough to produce toxic signs.
Signs are seen within half hour to 12 hours of ingestion:

  • Drunken gait, staggering
  • Depression
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Death
First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. Treatment must be started as soon as possible to increase chance of survival. If you see your animal ingest any amount of ethylene glycol seek veterinary attention.

Prevention: Use and encourage your neighbors and friends to use propylene glycol-based antifreeze.Do not allow your pets to drink or walk through water puddles from which you do not know the origin.

Dogs and cats cannot metabolize the theobromine (caffeine like) in chocolate, potentially causing serious stomach upset, nervous excitement, fast heart rate and/or blood disorders. As little as one ounce of milk chocolate per 20 pounds is enough to create toxin signs. Semi-sweet chocolate and baker’s chocolate require much less amounts to cause serious signs.

Signs:

  • Vomiting and/or diarrhea
  • Hyperactivity and excitement
  • Seizures
  • Severe depression
  • Coma
  • Death

First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. You may or may not be instructed to induce vomiting.

Prevention: Keep all chocolates well out of reach of pets. Remember, the smell is intense, they will chew through bags, jump, or climb on counters to reach the treat. Beware of placing any wrapped gift packages within pets’ reach especially during holidays, they may contain chocolates.

Xylitol is a sugar free sweetener used more commonly in Sugar Free Gum.
It increased the sensitivity if the animals to their own insulin and causes life threatening hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar). It also causes liver damage.

Signs

  • Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
  • Severe depression
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Death
First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. Low blood sugar can be fatal within hours.

Prevention: Keep all sugar free gum well out of reach of pets. Remember, the smell is intense, they will chew through bags, jump, or climb on counters to reach the treat. Beware of placing any wrapped gift packages within pets’ reach especially during holidays, they may contain chocolates.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

  • Acetaminophen
  • Alcohol
  • Antifreeze
  • Antihistamines
  • Ammonia
  • Aspirin Barbiturates
  • Caffeine
  • Carbamates
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Crayons
  • Chocolate
  • Copper pennies
  • Cosmetics
  • De-icers
  • DDT
  • Drugs (marijuana, etc.)
  • Deodorants
  • Denture cleaners
  • Disinfectants
  • Drain cleaners
  • Fertilizers
  • Fireplace colors
  • Fireworks
  • Fleet Enemas
  • Fluoride
  • Furniture polish
  • Gasoline
  • Gila Monsters
  • Glues and adhesives
  • Hair Sprays
  • Hair colorings
  • Insecticides
  • Ibuprofen
  • Insects
  • Indoor plants
  • Livestock dips
  • Lye
  • Lead
  • Matches
  • Metal cleaners
  • Nail polish
  • Nicotine
  • OFF insect spray
  • Onions
  • Organophosphate
  • Overheated fat
  • Oven cleaners
  • Paint/varnish remover
  • Perfumes
  • Petroleum Distillates
  • Pine Oil Disinfectants
  • Pyrethrin’s
  • Rodenticides
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Rust removers
  • Scorpions
  • Shampoo
  • Snakes
  • Spiders
  • Spoiled foods
  • Strychnine
  • Styptic pencils
  • Suntan lotion
  • Tar
  • Tiger Moths
  • Toilet bowl cleaners
  • Toads
  • Warfarin
  • Wax
  • Spiders
  • Spoiled foods
  • Strychnine
  • Styptic pencils
  • Suntan lotion
  • Tar
  • Tiger Moths
  • Toilet bowl cleaners
  • Toads
  • Warfarin
  • Wax

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

  • Castor Bean
  • Daphne
  • Foxglove
  • Larkspur
  • Lobelia
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Mistletoe
  • Monkshood
  • Poison Hemlock
  • Sago Palm
  • Water Hemlock
  • Yew

Ethylene glycol is most commonly found in antifreeze, but can also be found in some detergents, paints, polishes, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Because of its sweet taste it is one of the more common poisonings seen in dogs and cats. A mere four ounces of ethylene glycol can be fatal to a 60-pound dog or 1-1/2 teaspoons to an average 10-pound cat. Even walking through an antifreeze contaminated puddle, then licking the paws can be enough to produce toxic signs.
Signs are seen within half hour to 12 hours of ingestion:

  • Drunken gait, staggering
  • Depression
  • Vomiting
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Death
First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. Treatment must be started as soon as possible to increase chance of survival. If you see your animal ingest any amount of ethylene glycol seek veterinary attention.

Prevention: Use and encourage your neighbors and friends to use propylene glycol-based antifreeze.Do not allow your pets to drink or walk through water puddles from which you do not know the origin.

Dogs and cats cannot metabolize the theobromine (caffeine like) in chocolate, potentially causing serious stomach upset, nervous excitement, fast heart rate and/or blood disorders. As little as one ounce of milk chocolate per 20 pounds is enough to create toxin signs. Semi-sweet chocolate and baker’s chocolate require much less amounts to cause serious signs.

Signs:

  • Vomiting and/or diarrhea
  • Hyperactivity and excitement
  • Seizures
  • Severe depression
  • Coma
  • Death

First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. You may or may not be instructed to induce vomiting.

Prevention: Keep all chocolates well out of reach of pets. Remember, the smell is intense, they will chew through bags, jump, or climb on counters to reach the treat. Beware of placing any wrapped gift packages within pets’ reach especially during holidays, they may contain chocolates.

Xylitol is a sugar free sweetener used more commonly in Sugar Free Gum.
It increased the sensitivity if the animals to their own insulin and causes life threatening hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar). It also causes liver damage.

Signs

  • Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
  • Severe depression
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Death
First Aid: Transfer the animal to a veterinary facility as soon as possible. Low blood sugar can be fatal within hours.

Prevention: Keep all sugar free gum well out of reach of pets. Remember, the smell is intense, they will chew through bags, jump, or climb on counters to reach the treat. Beware of placing any wrapped gift packages within pets’ reach especially during holidays, they may contain chocolates.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

  • Acetaminophen
  • Alcohol
  • Antifreeze
  • Antihistamines
  • Ammonia
  • Aspirin Barbiturates
  • Caffeine
  • Carbamates
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Crayons
  • Chocolate
  • Copper pennies
  • Cosmetics
  • De-icers
  • DDT
  • Drugs (marijuana, etc.)
  • Deodorants
  • Denture cleaners
  • Disinfectants
  • Drain cleaners
  • Fertilizers
  • Fireplace colors
  • Fireworks
  • Fleet Enemas
  • Fluoride
  • Furniture polish
  • Gasoline
  • Gila Monsters
  • Glues and adhesives
  • Hair Sprays
  • Hair colorings
  • Insecticides
  • Ibuprofen
  • Insects
  • Indoor plants
  • Livestock dips
  • Lye
  • Lead
  • Matches
  • Metal cleaners
  • Nail polish
  • Nicotine
  • OFF insect spray
  • Onions
  • Organophosphate
  • Overheated fat
  • Oven cleaners
  • Paint/varnish remover
  • Perfumes
  • Petroleum Distillates
  • Pine Oil Disinfectants
  • Pyrethrin’s
  • Rodenticides
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Rust removers
  • Scorpions
  • Shampoo
  • Snakes
  • Spiders
  • Spoiled foods
  • Strychnine
  • Styptic pencils
  • Suntan lotion
  • Tar
  • Tiger Moths
  • Toilet bowl cleaners
  • Toads
  • Warfarin
  • Wax
  • Spiders
  • Spoiled foods
  • Strychnine
  • Styptic pencils
  • Suntan lotion
  • Tar
  • Tiger Moths
  • Toilet bowl cleaners
  • Toads
  • Warfarin
  • Wax

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control

  • Castor Bean
  • Daphne
  • Foxglove
  • Larkspur
  • Lobelia
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Mistletoe
  • Monkshood
  • Poison Hemlock
  • Sago Palm
  • Water Hemlock
  • Yew