Toxicity In Dogs

It is not uncommon for dogs at some stage of their life to digest, inhale or absorb some kind of toxin. Toxins come in all forms such as food, human drugs, rat and snail bait, household substances and chemicals. What we feel are safe for us such as food and medications may be another story for our beloved pets.

Safety around your home is paramount to keep you pet safe from being exposed to toxins that may be fatal to their health.

If you feel your dog has been exposed or taken a form of poisoning don’t panic but get to the vet as fast as you can. Being aware of the symptoms may very well save your pets life. If it is safe take with you the packet, labelling or substance of the suspected poison so your vet can identify the toxins. If your dog has vomited a sample of that would be good too.

Signs of Poisoning and Toxicity

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Drooling / hyper salivating
• Inappetance
• Lethargy
• Loss of co-ordination
• Tremors / Seizures
• Laboured breathing
• Collapse / Loss of consciousness
• Pale gums
• Fast heart rate

Common Ingested Poisons

Acid Poisoning

​Acids are found in many household products like cleaners, pool chemicals and car battery fluid.  Exposure of toxic chemicals can be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin or eyes.
Dogs can be inquisitive and may chew through a bottle or lick /drink substances and these substances may be lethal to your pet.
Ingesting acids will cause ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract with abdominal pain and vomiting. Your dog may paw at its mouth, become distressed and vocal.
Inhaling acids will bring on labored breathing and distress where absorbing acids on the skin will cause irritation and burning and in the eyes, will bring on squinting, pawing at the eye or the eye swelling shut.
Do NOT make your dog vomit as you may cause irreparable damage by the acid burning as its coming back up, but take to your Vet immediately.

Rat and Snail/Slug Bait Poisoning

Rat bait appears to be at the top of the list for the most common poisoning. Rat bait is an anticoagulant which prevents the blood from normally clotting which kills the rat by internal bleeding. Unfortunately, if our dogs eat this they too will suffer the same fate.
 
If unaware that your dog has eaten rat bait you may not see any obvious signs straight away however your dog could be bleeding internally and it may be several days before you notice any signs which could then be too late.
 
If you have noticed a box of rat bait disturbed or open and feel your dog may have ingested some seek medical advice immediately.
 
If you actually see your dog eat it then try and make him/her vomit immediately and get to your vet as soon as possible.
 
To prevent your dog from this deadly poison, remove baits from your home and surrounds or place in areas where your dog can’t possibly get to. Bait stations are the best as your dog can’t get into these, but still place in a safe place out of reach of your pooch.

Common Inhaled Poisons

• Insecticides
• Household chemicals
• Some paints
• Smoke

Common Absorbed Poisons Through Skin, Eyes and Paws

• Petroleum products
• Household Chemicals
• Lawn and Garden Chemicals
• Some paint or paint remover
• Some plants and flowers
• Flea/Tick Medication if overdosed

How to Avoid and Prevent Your Dog From Being Poisoned

• Keep chemicals, paints, medications, household cleaning products, lawn and garden chemicals, fertilisers etc. all locked away or up high.
• Check what plants, trees and flowers you have in your garden and if they can be toxic to your pet.
• Keep chocolate and food out of reach
• Ensure children don’t feed the dog the wrong foods like lollies and chocolate
• If using lawn and garden products read the instructions for the waiting time to be able to let your pet out of the grass again
• Don’t give your pet human drugs or medication
• Give your pet the proper dose of flea/tick products and don’t improvise – also make sure that when being bathed that a flea/tick solution is not being used as this may overdose them.

If your pet has had an experience of poisoning/toxicity then it’s worth detoxifying your dog with some great herbs to cleanse the blood, liver and body.
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Our Wellness Centre can help you with a detoxing mix to add to your dog’s food daily for a month so cleanse the body and get your fur baby back on track.
 
Give us a call to make a booking for a consultation with our Naturopath.