Our pets do some stupid things sometimes. My Labrador loves to catch flies, but he doesn’t know the difference from a fly and a bee.
And sometimes our pets ingests things that are incredibly dangerous.
Before I start the list I would like for you to write down the number for the ASPCA Poison Control hotline. This is a 24/7 hotline which employs veterinary toxicologists who are the experts on the toxicity of food, plants, drugs and chemicals.
Their phone number is 888-426-4435
They will also provide a treatment plan to your veterinarian stating what to do immediately and what to do if certain symptoms develop.
This hotline is not free, and I believe the fee is around $65, but this can always change. But for many toxicities veterinarians may be unfamiliar with the ingredients or the recommended treatment.
It’s faster if you call right away, then if your vet or the emergency vet calls.
1. Chocolate
Just like many of us, dogs have a sweet tooth. But unfortunately they are unable to to metabolize the ingredients in chocolate like we can.
The 2 main issues within chocolate are the caffeine, and more importantly the theobromine. Theobromine is an alkaloid compound within the cacao plant. People are able to metabolize this compound much faster than animals so they do no typically experience toxic effects. But in cats and dogs it can be fatal.
Early signs of toxicity will be vomiting and diarrhea. As dosages increase we will start to see hyper-excitability (from the caffeine), increased heart rate, heart arrhythmias, and at very high doses we can see seizures and death.
Thankfully this toxicity is actually well studied and we know toxic doses for various chocolate types. Baking chocolate and dark chocolate have much higher percentages of theobromine so very small amounts can be fatal. Milk chocolate and other products that have diluted amounts of theobromine require a larger volume of ingestion before they reach dangerous levels.
If you can provide info on the type of chocolate and how much was eaten, most veterinarians are happy to let you know if you pet should be seen. Usually we will start by making your pet vomit. If we can remove even some of the chocolate from the stomach this will reduce the toxic amount that was eaten.
Sometimes drugs to control heart rate and prevent seizures are needed to control the side effects. We also will sometimes need to put animals on intravenous fluids to help “flush out” the toxin
2. Xylitol
This is the sweetening substitute found in many sugar free ingredients such as gum and candy.
Unfortunately it is now also in some products like sugar free ice cream and peanut butter.
This ingredient is incredibly toxic to dogs. It can cause both dangerously low blood sugar and also liver damage.
We are also learning that it is absorbed very quickly. Sometimes making your dog vomit is not enough. It may be necessary to hospitalize your pet and monitor their blood sugar levels for the day. If the blood sugar starts to drop too low then sugar infused fluids can be given intravenously.
There are also medications which can be given to help protect the liver.
Photo by Evie S. on Unsplash
3. Lily Toxicity
There are many types of Lily’s but only the Lily’s that are considered True Lilies (genera Lilium) and Day Lilies (genera Hemerocallis) are toxic.
These lilies can cause acute kidney failure within 48 hours, and can cause death within 3-5 days.
All parts of the plants (flowers to stems) are considered toxic if ingested, but the flowers are the most toxic.
Treatment and survival depend on very early treatment. Initially we will try to induce vomiting and give activated charcoal to reduce the amount of toxin that is absorbed by the body.
The next step of treatment is fluid therapy for diuresis, or to flush the kidneys. Even if you cat only ingested a small amount and we start treatment quickly we usually need to keep these cats on IV fluids for about 3 days. If bloodwork is normal we can then send these kitties home.
But some cats will not have normal kidney values after 3 days and they may need to stay in the hospital longer while their kidneys heal.
And not every cat recovers. Sometimes they just ingest way too much of the flower, or we start treatment too late and they can enter end stage kidney failure.
I have seen and treated end stage renal failure from lily toxicity and it’s devastating. My cats will chew on flowers, so I just never allow Lilies in to my house as they are just too dangerous.
4. Grapes and Raisins
This is something else I almost never buy, even though my kids love them. But I’ve seen how much food they drop on the floor so I only let my girls have them in their lunches at school.
Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs.
We still do not know what it is about grapes and raisins that is toxic for dogs, and they seem to be one of the only species who experiences clinical signs.
If a dog eats a large enough amount of grapes or raisins (and the toxic amount will be different for dogs of different sizes), they will start to develop damage to their kidneys within about 24 hours.
Typically vomiting will be one of the first symptoms to develop and it can happen within a couple of hours after eating grapes or raisins. They can then have other worsening symptoms including changes to their urinating habits as the damage to the kidneys worsens.
Just like with lilies in cats, early treatment is the best chance for survival. We want to first try to make these dogs vomit so they absorb less of the toxin.
If an owner knows their dog ate 5 grapes, and we are able to find 5 grapes in their vomit, then no further treatment may be needed.
But if we don’t know how much they ate, or we don’t think they brought up enough to reduce the risk for clinical signs, then the next step will be IV fluids.
Intravenous fluids are useful with toxins that cause kidney damage because they will promote diuresis and help decrease the elevated blood kidney values.
After 72 hours of treatment, if the blood-work is normal, these dogs can go home safely.
5. Anti-Depressants and ADHD medications
SSRIs and amphetamines can both be very toxic to dogs and cats. Some may cause vomiting, tremors, changes in body temperature, and seizures.
Like many of our toxins we treat by trying to decontaminate the body, or making the pet vomit.
Then we start supportive care. If their body temperature is getting too high we use methods to cool the body. IV fluids are used to re-hydrate, and for diuresis.
If the patient is having seizures or tremors we give medications to stop those symptoms.
Please be careful with any human medications being taken in the house. Keep them in enclosed bottles, up where your dogs can’t reach them. If you have both a cat and a dog, please keep medications in an enclosed cabinet where the cat can’t knock bottles or medications down on to the floor.
6. NSAIDs
This stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. These are drugs like Ibuprofen and Aleve. These drugs are extremely toxic to cats and dogs. They can cause severe ulcers within the stomach or even kidney or liver failure.
We don’t recommend giving these human forms of NSAIDs to dogs as they do not metabolize them as well, and can quickly reach toxic doses. We have versions of these drugs in veterinary medicine that are safer for dogs and cats.
But even our versions can be dangerous if used outside the recommended dosage.
First, never give your pet over the counter human pain medications without guidance from a veterinarian. And if your pet is prescribed a dog or cat version of an NSAID please do not give these medications outside the recommended dosage.
I also recommend stopping your pets pain medication if they develop loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea or dark black poop as this can be a sign they are developing stomach ulcers.
If your pet ingests a human pain medication, or chews up a bottle of their own pain meds, we treat the same way we have with many other toxicities.
First we induce vomiting and then give activated charcoal to reduce the toxic amount absorbed by the body. Other treatments depend on the amount ingested and what symptoms we are worried about.
We may give drugs to help protect the stomach from ulcers, or recommend IV fluids if the kidneys are at risk.
If we are concerned about liver damage there are medications available to protect the liver.
Conclusion
There are many plants, drugs and foods that are toxic to our pets. This is a very brief list of some of the most common toxins. Some other things which can be toxic are onions/garlic, Sago palm trees which can cause fatal liver damage to dogs, and liquid potpourri which can cause severe ulcers in the mouth and esophagus. This usually occurs in cats who jump up on counters and lick the the container holding the liquid potpourri.
Please check the ASPCA website for what foods are safe before offering something new to your pets. If you have received flowers or are looking for new plants for you backyard check the safety of the flowers or plants you choose before epxosing your pets.
And if your pet ingests something accidentally please immediatly call the Poison Control hotline at 888-426-4435 and follow their advice on if you should seek veterinary care.
As mentioned above many of the toxins we see require quick intervention and treatment for success.
Let me know if you have had to call the Pet Poison Hotline before or if your vet has had to make your pet vomit!
Feature photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash
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