poisoning in dogs

Poisoning in Dogs – What You Should Know

Poisoning in Dogs – What You Should Know

We live our lives surrounded by various poisons and toxic substances, which can lead to potential illness in our dogs. Poisoning is a common problem in dogs due to their curious nature, indiscriminate diets and the intentional administration by a well-meaning owner.

Poison and toxin are terms commonly used interchangeably but do have slightly different meanings. A toxic substance is anything that causes abnormal body function. This includes overdoses of medications as well as poisonous substances. A poison is a substance that can result in abnormal body function and has no medical use.

Damage to the body is based on the amount of poison ingested and how long the poison was in the body before treatment. If treatment is immediate, many poisons do not result in significant illness. Some, regardless of how quickly treatment is administered, are fatal or result in permanent damage.

The effect of a poison is not always immediate. Some poisons do not cause illness for days, weeks or even years after ingestion but the most common poisons usually result in signs of illness within 3-4 days of exposure. Therefore, if you see your pet ingesting a potentially toxic substance, do not be lured into thinking he will be fine just because he does not immediately become ill. Every toxic ingestion is cause for concern and should prompt an immediate call to your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency facility.

Without witnessing exposure or ingestion of a poisonous substance, poisoning can be difficult to diagnose. Signs to watch for vary depending on the type of poison and type of exposure. Some poisons are inhaled and a few are absorbed, but the majority are ingested.

What to Watch For

Signs of poisoning in dogs may include:

Diagnosis of Poisoning in Dogs

Diagnosing illness due to poisoning can be difficult if the exposure or ingestion was not witnessed. Sometimes, pets are treated based on a strong suspicion of poisoning and not a confirmed diagnosis. Due to the variety of poisons, specific tests to diagnose the exact poison are often not available. A high level of suspicion of a specific poison may be the only way to determine the best treatment.

If you suspect a poisoning, bring in samples of recent urination, defecation and stomach contents if your pet is vomiting. In a few cases, samples can be sent to a laboratory for confirmation of the poison. This confirmation usually takes several days so treatment for the suspected poison is usually already begun when the diagnosis is confirmed. For this reason, many people elect not to pursue the expense of extensive testing to find the exact poison.

Diagnosis can be made from the following:

Antidotes. Another method is to administer an antidote and see how the pet responds. This is only effective if there is already a strong suspicion of a specific poison, there is an antidote available for that toxin and the antidote is given early in the illness. If the pet responds and improves with the antidote, poisoning can be confirmed. An example would be poisoning with anticoagulant rodenticides. If the animal has signs of bleeding, vitamin K can be administered. If the pet improves, the diagnosis is probably rodenticide exposure.

Unfortunately, definitive confirmation of a poisoning is not always possible.