First Aid – Pet poisons

In the home

Many common foods and products in our home are toxic to animals. It’s important to be aware of potential poisons in your animal’s everyday life and to know what to do if you suspect your pet has been poisoned

Alice

• There’s a spike in food poisonings in dogs around Christmas and Easter because of all the chocolate lying around. Chocolate - especially dark chocolate - contains a chemical called theobromine. After eating, your dog will become exceptionally unwell; symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea as well as high temperature and blood pressure.

• Large amounts of caffeine will also produce similar symptoms in your pet, but don’t panic if your animal inadvertently has a few laps of your coffee!

• Alcohol is a toxin for humans, but is significantly more toxic for most animals and can easily be fatal.

• Grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas are highly poisonous to dogs. The reason is unclear, but just a few can easily kill. Your dog is most likely to come across them hidden in cakes and pastries. Symptoms that normally arise 6 – 24 hours after eating are blood in the urine, lethargy, weakness, poor appetite, excess salivation, vomiting and diarrhoea.

• Many common human medications such as ibuprofen are very poisonous and should be kept out of reach.

• Poisons for rats and mice are also toxic to your pet. Many contain warfarin, which causes internal bleeding. Vitamin D is also present in household poisons, as well as a few creams and ointments and is poisonous in high doses. Treatment by the vet varies depending on the poison, so bring a sample or the brand name with you to the vets.
  
  Be wary also of foods artificially sweetened with xylitol, mouldy foods, blue cheese and macadamia nuts. Keep houseplants where pets cannot reach them. Be sure to collect dropped leaves and petals. Lilies are particularly poisonous to cats.

Outside

• Slug and snail pellets from the garden contain the ingredient metaldehyde which can cause fatal breathing problems.

• Salt used to grit roads can cause harm when cats and dogs lick it from their paws.

• A variety of popular garden plants are especially toxic to dogs. These include daffodils, lilies, tulips and spring crocuses.
• When out on a walk, ensure your dog doesn’t eat any acorns, conkers or foxgloves.

What to do

• If you think your pet has eaten something poisonous, don’t wait for symptoms to appear, take action immediately. Remove your dog from poison.

• Phone ahead to the vets and tell them what you think they’ve eaten. Bring in a sample of whatever it is. If it’s a household poison, try to find out the brand name as well, as this may affect the treatment.

• If your dog has chewed a plant take a photo of it on your smart phone. All this information will be crucial to the vet.

• Do not try to make your dog vomit.

• There are a large number of food stuffs that can be toxic to your pet, so prevent illnesses by keeping certain items out of reach.