Does the mere thought of your pet eat something that might be poisonous for them seem terrifying? If that ever happens, the best you can do is act quickly than just wait. The first step is to confirm if the object in question is poisonous or not.
One of the best ways to do that is to speak to an expert or read this article. Here, we enlisted some of the most toxic things for your pet, and what can happen if ingested. Of course, it goes without saying that it’s way better to prevent than let these situations happen. Here’s what you need to know:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol and other aspirin-free pain medications)
Acetaminophen can be toxic to both dogs and cats. In fact, they are the most affected by these substances and can suffer from severe changes to their red blood cells (methemoglobinemia), which can result in brown/blue mucous membranes (gums). Cats can also suffer from severe facial and paw swelling caused by acetaminophen ingestion.
Antifreeze (Ethylene Glycol)
This is quite a serious ingestion for both dogs and cats, and it can turn out to be fatal. It might cause a drunken gait and abnormal mental status, but also gastrointestinal signs. What’s worse is that the animal can seem to be normal after that, even if the danger isn’t gone, since the next stage is acute kidney failure, which is more often than not fatal without hemodialysis. If there is any suspicion of this ingestion, your pets need to be evaluated right away.
Aspirin
Even if dogs and cats might be able to tolerate low doses of aspirin, they are also highly susceptible to gastrointestinal ulceration, bleeding, and perforation of ulcers. Try not to use this drug without a direct order from your veterinarian.
Batteries
Ingestion of the entire battery and chewing on batteries could potentially lead to clinical signs, such as pain, hypersalivation, oral inflammation and ulceration, vomiting, anorexia, and gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding caused by battery acid exposure.
X-rays should always be taken to see if there are any battery parts in the GI tract. The best thing you can do is seek veterinary attention if you suspect your pet ingested batteries.
Cleaning agents and liquid Potpourri
There are plenty of categories of cleaning agents, such as caustic agents (alkaline or acidic), irritants, alkalis, and acids. Clinical signs will oftentimes include skin irritation, oral ulcerations (grooming or ingestion), corneal erosions and ulcers, irritation of the eye, excessive salivation, vomiting, bloody vomit, and diarrhea, as well as difficulty breathing caused by inflammation of the upper airway. Decontamination and supportive care are often needed.
Cigarette ingestion
The wide majority of tobacco products contain nicotine. Cigarettes and cigars also have varying degrees of nicotine in them. In theory, only the butts contain 25% of the total nicotine. Clinical signs develop fast (15-30 minutes), and generally include hyperexcitability, hypersalivation, fast breathing, diarrhea, as well as vomiting.
Muscle weakness, twitching, collapse, coma, and even death can happen when high doses have been ingested. Animals that are seen ingesting any tobacco products or many cigarettes or cigar butts should be urgently taken to a veterinarian for medical care and decontamination.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and Naproxen (Aleve) Ingestion (Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory or NSAID)
Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, widely used for aches and pains in people. Ingestion of the smallest amounts of ibuprofen or naproxen can ultimately lead to vomiting and diarrhea, but also gastric ulceration, bleeding, and intestinal perforation.
And when it comes to very high concentrations, it can easily cause permanent kidney damage and affect the central nervous system. It can lead to seizures, inability to walk, coma, and even death. Cats are twice as much in danger compared to dogs, due to a lack of enzymes that helps them digest the medication.
Lead
Older homes are generally painted with the kind of paint that contains a lot of lead. Pets who live in such homes and have been eating paint chips or scratching at paint are the first to suffer from exposure. Some of the most note-worthy clinical signs are vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, anorexia, abdominal pain, seizures, dementia, and blindness. Other, more subtle signs are possible, too.
Marijuana
Marijuana can deeply affect dogs and cats. The exposure is not necessarily dependent on the dose, since the amount of THC isn’t generally provided in recreational marijuana (even if it can be found with medical marijuana).
Clinical symptoms also include hypersensitivity and hyperreactivity (flinching). Other, more important clinical signs include tremors, swaying, ataxia (the drunken gait), dilated pupils, and leaking urine.
Pets easily recover from this toxicity, but any suspicion of toxin exposure is essential for a proper diagnosis. Urine drug screening can also be variably positive since dogs and cats excrete different metabolites.
Mothballs
Naphthalene is probably the most dangerous kind. Toxicity has been often reported only after one mothball ingestion. Some of the most notable clinical signs include vomiting, anemia, changes in urine color, lethargy, as well as seizures. Hepatitis can also occur 3 to 5 days after exposure, followed by kidney failure. Seizures and coma aren’t completely excluded, either.
Prescription medication
If your pet swallows more than the prescribed dose of their own prescription medication, or if they eat yours, the next thing you need to do is seek medical attention. In most cases, the prescription prescribed for humans is extremely harmful to animals.
Rodenticide (rat poison)
Intoxication with substances used to kill rodents is a far more common issue in dogs, and sometimes in cats, too. There are plenty of products available, but most of them fall into one of the three categories, based on the mechanism of action.
Those that generally inhibit the function of vitamin K (vitamin K antagonists) are by far the most common culprits. The other two categories are calcifying substances and uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation.
Even if ingestion is only partly suspected, instant veterinary attention is required. If it’s caught early enough, vomiting can be induced to prevent systemic absorption. Typically, the vomit that follows the ingestion of these compounds is bright blue-green. For the vitamin K antagonists, there’s a two to seven-day lag period between ingestion and the onset of bleeding.
Treatment consists of decontamination via emesis, as well as administration of activated charcoal to bind to any residual toxin in the intestinal tract. Administration of vitamin K for 30 days is also recommended.
Repeat blood clotting testing 48 hours after finishing the vitamin K administration. As a general rule, the prognosis for this type of exposure is good. In case your pet presents signs of internal bleeding like pale gums, labored breathing, abdominal distension, or even weakness, they might require immediate care, and in some instances, blood transfusion.
Toilet tank drop Ins/toilet water
The drop in these products often includes a corrosive cleaning agent. Because of the dilution of the toxin in the toilet tank and bowl the concentration is generally not that high. Typical clinical signs also include gastrointestinal irritation, which can later lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking: 6 Ways to Prevent Motion Sickness in Dogs During Travel
