Ventura 2301 South Victoria Ave Ventura, CA 93003 805.642.8562 Thousand Oaks 2967 N. Moorpark Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 805.492.2436 Home Locations Hospital Services Meet Our Doctors Meet Our Staff The Crowe's Nest See Our Hospitals Employment Info Find a Vet Pet Health Library Links Contact Us Treatment for Poisoning Poison Prevention (Courtesy of California Poison Control and U.C. Davis) Pets are not immune from poisonings, accidental or intentional. Dogs are especially prone to poisonings as they can and do eat almost anything. The three most common causes of serious poisonings in dogs are snail baits Hospital Services Include: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Critical Care/Emergency Medicine/Trauma Therapy Antivenin Therapy for Rattlesnake Bites Diagnostics Surgery Treatment for Poisoning containing metaldehyde, rat poisons containing blood thinners, and ethylene glycol antifreeze. Only a little can cause life-threatening poisoning. Treatment is prolonged and expensive. With care, you can prevent poisoning your pet. Prevent potential pet dangers by using the following guidelines: Feed pets only pet food. The fat content from table scraps can cause pancreatitis in dogs. Never give pets human food that you think might be spoiled. Animals can get sick from bad food as easily as humans. Food items dangerous to pets include onions, onion powder, chocolate (bakers, semi sweet, milk, dark), alcoholic beverages, yeast dough, coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans, tea (caffeine), salt, macadamia nuts, hops (used in home beer brewing), tomato leaves and stems (green parts), rhubarb leaves, avocados (toxic to birds, mice, rabbits, horses, cattle, and dairy goats), cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, moldy or spoiled foods. Many common household items can be dangerous to animals. Mothballs, potpourri oils, pennies, homemade play dough, fabric softener sheets, dishwashing detergent, and batteries. Lock up dangerous items like insect killers or fertilizers in the garage or storage area items before confining your pet in these areas. Automotive products such as gasoline, oil and antifreeze should be stored in areas that are inaccessible to your pets. Clean up immediately after using household and automotive products. Antifreeze has a sweet taste that is attractive to animals. Even a small amount lapped up from the floor or driveway can cause kidney failure or death. As little as one teaspoon of antifreeze can be deadly to a cat; less than one tablespoon can be lethal to a 20-pound dog. Never transfer toxic products into jars or bowls from which pets can drink. Never allow your pets to have access to the areas in which cleaning agents are being used or stored. Cleaning agents have a variety of properties; some may only cause mild stomach upset, but others can cause severe burns of the tongue, mouth and stomach. Store all cleaners, pesticides, and medications in a secured area. Choose snail bait (metaldehyde) that does not look or smell like pet food. The pellet formulation is responsible for many serious poisonings each year. Snail bait in the sawdust/powder formulation scattered in flowerbeds is safer. Some mouse and insect killing products use peanut butter as an attractant. The peanut butter is also attractive to dogs. Keep pets in mind when placing these products around your home. If you have to use these items, place them in areas that are inaccessible to your companion animals. Use pesticides, such as flea repellant sprays, flea shampoos, and flea collars with care. They may cause allergic and even deadly reactions. Before buying a flea product, consult your veterinarian, especially when treating sick, debilitated or pregnant pets. If you are uncertain about the proper usage of any product, contact the manufacturer and/or your veterinarian for instructions. Make sure your companion animals do not enter areas in which insecticidal foggers or house sprays have been applied for the period of time indicated on the label. Read warning labels before use. Never use dog products on cats, as cats are much more sensitive to the toxic effects of products. Never use permethrin spot on products (which are labeled for dogs only) on your cat. Discontinue use immediately if any unusual symptoms appear. Always check with a veterinarian before medicating pets. Many of the common over-the-counter medications (acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen) can cause severe toxicity in both dogs and cats, even with just one tablet. For example, one extra strength (500mg) acetaminophen tablet could be fatal to a cat. Keep all prescription and over-the-counter drugs out of your pets' reach, preferably in closed cabinets. Pain killers, cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, antidepressants, vitamins and diet pills are all examples of human medications that can be lethal to animals, even in small doses. Don't allow your dog to eat chocolate. Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine, which acts very much like caffeine. Too much theobromine can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nervousness, restlessness, excitement, tremors, seizures, and even coma. Don't feed your pet alcohol or illicit drugs. They are dangerous to pets. If you live in a tick-infested area, check your pets frequently, especially if they have been out for an extended period of time. Remove ticks from your pet as soon as possible. Select houseplants with care. Some plants considered non-toxic to humans can be toxic to pets. The ingestion of azalea, oleander, castor bean, sago palm, Easter lily (in cats only), or yew plant material by an animal can be fatal. Make sure curious, young pets have safe, non-toxic chewable toys and snacks available. When young pets are teething, they will eat or chew on almost anything. Have the phone number of your veterinarian and the emergency vet number posted. Keep the Poison Center numbers on hand as well: California Poison Control System (800) 876-4766 ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435. If you suspect a pet poisoning, do not wait to call. Prompt attention may make a crucial difference to your pet. If you think that your pet may have ingested poison of any type, immediately contact your local poison control center for help. Keep your pet warm and quiet, and try to determine what the poison was, when it was ingested, and the amount ingested. Have the label with you when you call the poison center or visit your veterinarian. Rodent Poisoning Rodenticide is the ingredient in mouse and rat poison. Common active ingredients are: brodificoum, diphacinone, warfarin, bromadoline, and others. Most of these products include green dyes for a characteristic appearance. Dogs and cats have poor color vision and to them these pellets may look like kibbled pet food. Anticoagulant rodenticides typically don’t produce signs of poisoning for several days after the product has been consumed. Eventually they cause internal bleeding. The poisoned victim will show weakness, pale gums and lethargy, but often there is no outward hemorrhage. There are two basic types of rodenticide. The most common one works by causing a bleeding problem, the other by causing damage to the brain. Pets may be poisoned by eating rodenticide directly or secondarily by ingesting a rodent that has eaten the poison. Anticoagulant rodenticides exert their effect by inducing a secondary vitamin K-dependent coagulopathy leading to uncontrollable hemorrhage and death. They cause suppression of blood clotting by depleting vitamin K1 which is essential for clotting factor activation. Warfarin, or broudifacoum-type rodenticides, cause bleeding problems three to five days after ingestion, although abnormal clotting of the blood can be detected earlier. If treatment is started before a bleeding problem develops, the risk of death and the cost of treatment are much lower. If rodenticide has been ingested, you may see bluish-green material in the vomit or stool. Clinical signs of toxicity may include weakness, depression, pale gums, bruising, black or bloody stool, bloody urine, nosebleed, difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, distended abdomen, or acute collapse--depending on the origin of the bleeding. Early treatment may include making the pet vomit, administering activated charcoal, cathartics, and vitamin K. Vitamin K is the antidote for this type of rodenticide. Treatment at this stage should prevent bleeding. If bleeding has already started, treatment may also include plasma transfusion to provide clotting factors to stop the bleeding, blood transfusion if the animal is anemic, and other life saving procedures as indicated. As long as treatment is started before the animal bleeds to death, most pets survive. The sooner treatment begins, the better the prognosis for your pet. Animals that are elderly or juvenile and those with liver disease, hypothyroidism, or other underlying illnesses are more susceptible to anticoagulant rodenticides. The second type of rodenticide, bromethalin, has no antidote. Signs may occur within 10 to 86 hours of ingestion, and may persist as long as 12 days. Even small amounts may be lethal. Signs include weakness of the back legs, depression, vomiting, poor appetite, tremors, seizures, and death. If a pet is known to ingest this type of poison, the main focus is to try to prevent absorption by making the pet vomit, pumping the stomach, and administering charcoal and supportive treatment with IV fluids. If neurological signs develop, treatment may decrease swelling in the brain and control seizures. The prognosis is very poor. Should accidental exposure occur, immediately contact your family veterinarian, Pet Emergency Clinic or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for assistance (888) 426-4435, and be sure to have the container or package information readily available so that a proper identification of the rodenticide's ingredients can be made for appropriate treatment. If you have a large number of rodents in your area, try non-chemical methods of control first: Remove piles of yard debris, trash, construction waste, where rats or mice could make homes. Eliminate food sources. Don't leave pet food outside. Keep wild birdseed and other materials rats or mice may eat (such as some organic fertilizers) in rodent-proof containers. Collect and remove fallen fruit from fruit trees in the yard. Exclude rodents from your home. Rodents can squeeze through very small holes - 1/4 inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats. Check the outside of your house for openings and seal them. Snail Bait Poisoning In California, snail bait ingestion is the most common poisoning in the dog. Snail bait is commonly formulated in pellets and flavored with molasses or bran to attract snails. Animals can be affected by ingesting the bait directly, or eating snails, slugs, or rats that have eaten the bait. Snail baits are also available as liquids and powders which can get onto paws and be licked off during normal grooming. Very little snail bait is required to cause poisoning (less than a teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight). SIGNS OF POISONING: Signs of poisoning begin fairly quickly after the poison is consumed. The dog will begin twitching at first only slightly and then uncontrollably. This progresses to seizures and can lead to death. The muscle contractions associated with the twitching raise body temperature so high that brain damage can result. Patients can also exhibit racing heart rates, vomiting, diarrhea, rigidity, and respiratory failure. Metaldehyde, is toxic to the central nervous system. Clinical signs can occur within one to four hours after exposure and include the following: Restlessness and anxiety Over-reaction to stimuli (sounds) Incoordination Difficulty walking Rapid heart rate and respiration Hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) Vomiting and diarrhea Muscle tremors progressing to seizures Loss of consciousness Respiratory failure Death There is the possibility of liver failure that can occur in some patients approximately 2-3 days after poisoning. Liver enzymes should be monitored (with blood tests) throughout the recovery period. MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS: The appearance of the twitching or seizuring patient is characteristic though there are a few other conditions that can cause similar symptoms. Even if you have no knowledge your pet ingested snail bait, it is vital to have the animal seen by a veterinarian immediately! Testing of stomach contents or urine for the presence of metaldehyde can be done but is generally not necessary. TREATMENT: There is no direct antidote for metaldehyde toxicity. Treatment is focused on controlling the clinical signs. If less than one hour has passed since exposure, it may be possible to induce vomiting. If the patient is twitching or seizuring, inducing vomiting may not be in the patient’s best interest. The animal can be anesthetized and the stomach pumped. Activated charcoal can be given to prevent absorption of metaldehyde into the body from the intestine. Cathartics (used to induce diarrhea) can also be used with the activated charcoal to assist in removing the metaldehyde from the intestinal tract promptly. Twitching can be controlled with methocarbamol (a muscle relaxant) or injectable valium (diazepam). Fluid therapy and body temperature monitoring will be needed through the recovery period. Chance of recovery depends on how much poison was ingested, how quickly therapy was initiated, and the general health of the patient. This is a serious poisoning, but most patients have a good chance of recovery if treatment is prompt and appropriate. At home the yard should be hosed down with water to dissolve remaining metaldehyde and the dog should be restricted from the treated area for a two week period. PREVENTION: Many people who have used slug and snail baits for years and never had a problem think that their pets will never decide to "try" it. Don't assume this will always be the case. We frequently treat animals with distraught owners who claim that their animal has never been interested in the snail bait in the past. Snail bait is very enticing because it smells and tastes good. Please consult your local gardening store for alternative methods of pest control. Alternatively, you can obtain decollate snails at a nursery. The dried snails are activated by soaking them in water and then scattered in the garden. They eat the snail larvae to naturally control the snail population. Be extremely careful when using metaldehyde-containing baits. Ensure the product is applied only to areas completely inaccessible to pets. Store unused bait in a secure container that is out of the reach of pets. Better yet, consider using less toxic formulations of snail and slug bait such as those containing ferric phosphate. Treating an animal for metaldehyde toxicity can be a very costly and frustrating experience for pet owners. This problem is almost totally preventable if you are careful. If you suspect that your pet may have ingested a product containing metaldehyde, contact your family veterinarian, the Pet Emergency Clinic or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (1-888-426-4435) for immediate assistance. To learn how to "Make Your Pet's Home Poison Safe visit www.aspca.org/apcc.