Symptoms Of Poisoning in Pets

Dogs and other pets are naturally curious and will frequently eat anything they find, therefore, it is no wonder they occasionally encounter or ingest a poisonous substance. While it is quite imperative to remove all known poisons from your pet’s environment, he may still find a toxic substance. By knowing the signs of poisoning, you can understand the cause of problem. It will also help your veterinarian to treat your dog. This article comprises various types of pet posing and their symptoms.

1.Pesticides & Rodent Poisoning

The pesticide poisoning symptoms in a dog include trembling, weakness, vomiting, chills, depression, drooling and rapid breathing. When a dog ingests rodent poison, its symptoms may become severe, depending upon the amount eaten poison. If the poison contains toxic metals like arsenic, the dog may exhibit diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and he may become paralyzed. The breath of dog may have the distinct odour of garlic. Rodent poisoning and pesticide poisoning are known as the medical emergencies.

2.Food & Plant Poisoning

There are various foods that are nutritious for humans but toxic for the dogs. Grapes and raisins may produce irreversible kidney damage in the dogs. Within a few hours of eating grapes and raisins, dogs may vomit, develop diarrhoea and show signs of abdominal pain.

Macadamia nuts are also considered toxic for the dogs and its ingestion may cause weakness in the dog’s hind legs. In addition to this, raw bread dough that contains yeast may be poisonous for the dog’s system, causing him to have a seizure or tremble. In large amounts, chocolate may cause hyperexcitability, rapid heart rate and shallow breathing in the dogs. Some plants like such as English ivy and English holly are also dangerous for your canine friend.

3.Household Products

Numerous corrosive products and caustic cleaners will quickly poison a dog. As different cleaners contain different toxins, the dog may experience different symptoms, including vomiting, drooling, staggering, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, the inability to stand up and diarrhoea. It is quite important to determine what household product is consumed by your dog so that your veterinarian can devise a treatment plan.

4.Inhalation Poisoning

Your dog need not drink or eat the toxic substance to be poisoned by it. Common petroleum products, including turpentine, gasoline, or kerosene, emit toxic fumes. If your dog inhales a sufficient amount of fumes of these petroleum products, it can cause rapid breathing, coughing, weakness, trembling, coma or even death.

5.Antifreeze

Antifreeze substance is one of the most commonly ingested outdoor poisons. It is left lying in a pan or a bucket after being drained from the vehicle. Unfortunately, the taste and smell of antifreeze is appealing to some dogs, and they will readily consume it. Some common symptoms of antifreeze poisoning are vomiting, shock, drooling, seizures or coma. In severe cases, the dog’s kidneys may fail.

• Diagnosis of Poisoned pets

The diagnosis of poisoning is depends upon how long your pet has been ill. If your pet suddenly becomes ill and your vet induces vomiting, the poison might be identified immediately. For example, if your dog is induced to vomit and the vomit is of blue in colour, it is a good indication your dog ate the rat poison that is frequently dyed blue. For a definitive diagnosis, the vomited contents of pet are sent to the pathology lab. In addition to this, it is possible to immediately identify some bulbs and plants in fresh vomit.

If your pet has been ill for a long time period, your vet may send tissue or blood samples to the pathology lab. For example, if you have a Westie or Bedlington Terrier and he got into the copper toxicity which is used to treat sheep hooves, your vet will send blood and a liver biopsy sample to the pathology lab.

If your pet dies, your vet may perform a necropsy and examine the internal organs and brain in order to identify the cause of death. Necropsy information helps to prevent another pet from dying of the same poison or toxic substance.