If you have dogs or plan to include one in the family, you will surely be interested in this article on our site where we are going to deal with a very important topic that we must know in order to preserve the he alth of our companion and even save him life in case of accident. It is about poisoning, because it is easier than it may seem for our dog to come into contact with a substance that is toxic to him.
We know that canines in general are very curious, careless and sometimes clumsy, especially puppies. That is why we must be careful, monitor them whenever we can and be informed about poisoning in dogs, its symptoms and first aid We hope that you never need to act as we are going to explain, but if so, stay calm to be effective and read carefully.
Causes of poisoning in dogs
We can avoid situations where our faithful friend may be injured or poisoned by accident. We will do this by keeping everything potentially dangerous out of his reach, on high shelves of furniture or in locked cabinets, preventing him from eating anything on the street, not letting him drink water from the pool or bathe in it when it is freshly treated. with products such as chlorine or preventing it from licking or coming into contact with the area if we use insecticides in the garden, among other preventive measures.
There are three ways a dog can become intoxicated:
- Skin route: when the poison comes into contact with the animal's skin and is absorbed by it, introducing it into the body.
- Respiratory tract: when the toxic substance is inhaled by our dog and enters its body through absorption in the respiratory ducts and the lungs.
- Oral route: when the toxic substance is ingested by the dog swallowing it.
Below, we expose the most common poisons and toxins, that is, the most frequent causes of poisoning:
- Human food (chocolate, xylitol gum, avocado, grapes, macadamia nuts, onion, garlic, etc.).
- Medications for humans (paracetamol, cough syrup, etc.).
- Insecticides, pesticides, poisons, herbicides and fertilizers (carbamate, amitraz, pyrethrin, arsenic, warfarin, strictin, etc.).
- Paint and car batteries (lead).
- Poisonous fungi (different types of mushrooms).
- Insects and other poisonous animals (snakes, snakes, toads).
- Poisonous plants (cyanide).
- Cleaning products (solvent, bleach, chlorine, softeners, detergents, etc.).
- Antiparasitics (some products sprayed on our pets and their environment to drive away and eliminate external parasites).
- Alcohol (in drinks or in other formats).
- Tobacco (nicotine).
These products and substances, found in a wide variety of objects, animals and plants, are chemicals and enzymes that are toxic to canids and other pets because their organisms do not are able to metabolize them.
Symptoms of poisoning in dogs
In a poisoned dog the symptoms can appear quickly or take hours. In addition, they are very varied, since they will depend on the substance that has caused the intoxication and its quantity. Some of the most common symptoms are as follows:
- Vomiting and diarrhoea, even bloody.
- Severe pain with whining.
- Depression and weakness.
- Cough and sneeze.
- Dilated pupils.
- Tremors, involuntary muscle spasms, and seizures.
- Nervousness.
- Dizziness.
- Muscular stiffness.
- Disorientation.
- Paralysis of an affected area or the entire body.
- Severe drowsiness or lethargy.
- Sudden excitability and hyperactivity.
- Collapse and unconsciousness.
- Fever.
- Excessive salivation.
- Bleeding from various orifices.
- Heart and breathing problems.
- Difficulty in limb coordination due to neurological problems (ataxia).
- Apathy.
- Darkening of the mucous membranes.
- Excess thirst (polydipsia).
- Very frequent urination (polyuria).
- Gastric irritation.
- Inflammation, irritation, rash and marks on the skin.
- Loss of appetite and anorexia.
But can a poisoned dog be saved? Yes, if as soon as we detect some of these symptoms we act quickly and call the veterinary emergency.
How to save a poisoned dog? - First aid
When poisoning or intoxication occurs in our dog we must go or quickly call our trusted veterinarian or the veterinary emergency room. But did you know that there are some steps we can do ourselves as first aid while the vet is on the way? Of course, we should do it only if the specialist does not contradict us and according to the origin of the poisoning. This quick action can save the life of our faithful companion.
As soon as we detect symptoms of those described above, if possible with the help of someone, we must, on the one hand, call the veterinarian and inform him of all the signs that we can observe, such as the state of the animal, the symptoms, the possible poison causing the problem, its components, packaging, labels and everything possible. In addition, we must attend to the symptoms of our poisoned dog according to the origin of the poisoning and the clinical signs. We must keep calm and act quickly, thinking that in these cases time is money. If you wonder what to do in case of poisoning in dogs, these are the steps to follow:
- If our dog is very weak, almost fainted, unconscious or we know that the poisoning has been caused by inhalation, the first thing we should do is move it to an open area, ventilated and illuminated So we can better observe any symptoms and offer fresh air. To lift it we must be careful and do it in such a way that we hold the whole body firmly. If we don't have an outdoor area, the bathroom or kitchen are usually well lit and have water at hand, which we most likely need.
- On the other hand, we must carefully remove the poison that we see in sight to prevent other pets or people who are nearby from poison too. We will have to save a sample so that it can be used by the veterinarian in his diagnosis.
- While we do the above, another person can contact the vet If we are alone we will do it after stabilizing the dog a bit, remove the localized poison and save a sample. The specialist will help us stay calm and focus. The sooner we call the vet, the more likely our dog will survive.
- If we have been able to identify the poison, we must give the veterinarian as much information as possible, such as the name of the product, its active ingredient, the power, the amount that more or less the animal has been able to ingest and the time that may have passed since it did so. The more indications, depending on the type of poison that caused the poisoning, the more chances of survival.
- The vet will tell us which first aid we can apply and which we can't, depending on the identified poison. For example, one of the first actions that we must do in case of ingestion of any poison is to cause vomiting, but we must know that it should never be done if the dog is unconscious or passed out or if the poison ingested is corrosive because we can cause it to aspire vomit and it goes into your respiratory system, causing pneumonia. In addition, if the poison that has intoxicated him is a corrosive substance, the only thing we will achieve if we make him vomit will be a second caustic burn in the digestive tract, pharynx and mouth, worsening his situation. If the poison has been ingested for two hours or more, it will be quite useless for us to provoke vomiting, since the digestion will be very advanced or finished. Therefore, we will only induce vomiting if the animal is not unconscious, if we know for sure that the substance is not a corrosive such as an acid or alkali, and if the ingestion occurred less than two hours ago.
- If it is decided that due to the circumstances we must make the poisoned animal vomit we must follow appropriate guidelines for inducing vomiting and so on Avoid unnecessary damage during the process. We will discuss these guidelines later and, more extensively, in our article What to give a poisoned dog?
- If the contamination has not been caused by ingestion, but has been given topically or cutaneously, poisoning with dust or oily substance that has adhered to the fur of our dog, we must shake off the dust with an intense brushing and perform a bath with abundant lukewarm water using some soap that removes oily substances well. If we still cannot remove the toxin from the fur, we will have to cut that piece of hair, since it is better to eliminate it than to regret that our dog gets worse or becomes contaminated again.
- If the poisoning occurs by contact with mucous membranes, skin and eyes we must bathe the affected area with plenty of water to remove as much harmful substance as possible.
What to give a poisoned dog?
It is just as important to know what to give a dog that ate poison as what not to give. Keep in mind the following recommendations:
- We must not give him water, food, milk, oils or any other home remedy until we know for sure what poison he ingested and how proceed, so it will be better to wait for our veterinarian to indicate it while we provide you with as much information as possible. This is because, if we do not know what we are dealing with, any of these home remedies could produce an effect contrary to what we expect and worsen the condition of our faithful companion.
- If we have caused vomiting we will have managed to expel part of the poison from our dog's body, but, even so, another part will have been absorbed by the intestine and that is why we must try to reduce the progress of this toxic absorption This can be achieved with activated carbon, which we will talk about next.
- In case the affected dog is awake and somewhat less dazed and the veterinarian does not tell us otherwise, it will be good to give him fresh water to drink, since many poisons that are commonly ingested by dogs affect the kidneys and liver. Giving them water will reduce the impact on these organs a little. If they don't drink it themselves we can administer it with a syringe slowly in the side of the mouth.
Home remedies for a poisoned dog
A poisoned dog needs to be seen by a vet. At home we can only carry out the steps that we have explained in the previous section, causing vomiting if the professional tells us so. To achieve this, we can administer water with s alt, although the use of hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 3% is considered a safer alternative. You only have to give the dog a teaspoon for every 4.5 kg of weight. You have more information in our article How to make a dog vomit?
After vomiting, before going to the vet we can also administer activated carbon, with the aim of preventing as much as possible the absorption of the toxin, preventing it from reaching the blood. In this line, if we have a suitable laxative on hand, we could also give it to the dog. If we know how to apply an enema, it would be another option to consider. Remember to agree with the veterinarian on any action.
Recovery of a poisoned dog
Both the prognosis and the recovery time of a poisoned dog will depend on the severity of its condition Not all poisons produce the same damage and the route of intoxication, the amount of poison to which the animal has been exposed and the speed with which treatment has been started must also be taken into account.
In mild poisoning, the dog can recover even in a matter of hours, once the poison has been eliminated, but if any organ is affected, we could be facing irreversible damage that requires lifelong treatment. On the other hand, when the intoxication is due to certain types of long-acting rodenticides, a dog cannot be considered recovered until the month of treatment required in these cases is completed.
Unfortunately, it must also be assumed that in some cases the severity of the damage to the dog's body is such that not even receiving the appropriate treatment is it possible to reverse its condition, which ends with thedeath of the animal Hence the importance of keeping an eye on our dog and offering him a safe environment.
