If you have identified symptoms of intoxication in your dog, you have applied first aid but you are not sure of the cause of the poisoning, in Animal Expert we explain how to treat a poisoned dog, explaining the symptoms of each type of poisoning and treatment.
We want to remind you of the importance of going to a veterinarian in these cases, because no matter how much we can act and help with first aid right now, you need to be a specialist who needs to evaluate the health of our poisoned fur.and proceed as necessary in each case.
- If you own a dog.
- This article will interest you on how to act and save your faithful friend’s life in the event of an accident.
- Here we give you information about the treatments needed for poisonings caused by different toxic substances for dogs and some tips on how to administer the drugs and the dose needed in each case.
Below we will explain a series of treatments and first aid for the most common causes of canine poisoning, which we can perform if our veterinarian has told us or if there is no other option, it is preferable that these measures are performed by a veterinarian instead of for us.
Drugs for humans: the vast majority of daily medicines for humans are toxic and even deadly to dogs, we must be sure that our partner will not touch what they should not or will not reach certain places where we have the drugs stored, but the truth is that not only are they getting drunk by ingesting these substances by mistake, but sometimes out of ignorance.we administer some of these medications to lower the fever or minimize other symptoms.This last situation is a big mistake on our part, as most medicines are not meant to be tolerated by dogs or cats and, although we give you the minimum or recommended dose for children, we intoxicate our pet. Never take care of your pet without first consulting a veterinarian. In case the dog ingests a pill of these medicines for humans, we must make him vomit and go to the veterinarian, these are the most common drugs for us, but they are harmful to the health of our animals and can even come to death:
Arsenic: Arsenic is present in insecticides, pesticides and certain poisons, the most common symptoms are acute diarrhea and sometimes bloody diarrhea, weak pulse, general weakness, depression and cardiovascular collapse, due to acute inflammation caused by arsenic in several internal organs.such as the liver and kidneys, in this case if the poison was ingested less than two hours ago by our dog, the urgent treatment is to cause vomiting, followed by oral administration of activated charcoal and, after an hour or two, administer gastric protectors such as pectin or kaolin.
Cyanide: this substance is mainly found in plants, in certain poisons and fertilizers, in our dog cyanide poisoning occurs most often when eating plants containing cyanide compounds, such as apple leaves, corn, flax, sorghum and eucalyptus.Another common way to ingest this poison is when they ingest a rodent or other animal killed by raticides and other plant poisons, symptoms usually appear ten or fifteen minutes after ingestion and an increase in arousal can be observed that quickly becomes shortness of breath, which can lead to suffocation.Treatment by a veterinarian is the immediate administration of sodium nitrite.
Ethylene glycol: used as an antifreeze for the car. Symptoms are fairly quick after ingestion and may appear to be drunk by our dog, symptoms include vomiting, neurological signs, partial loss of consciousness, loss of balance and ataxia (difficulty coordinating by neurological problems). What should be done in this case is to induce vomiting and administer activated charcoal followed by sodium sulfate between one and two hours after ingestion of the poison.
Shampoo, soap or detergent: Poisoning with these substances causes a number of milder and easier to treat symptoms, many of these products may contain caustic soda and other corrosive substances, so you should never vomit. Symptoms that usually occur are excessive dizziness.salivation, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea. In cases where the dog has ingested a large amount, the situation worsens and seizures, shock and coma can occur. If the amount ingested is low and the veterinarian does not tell us otherwise, a good way to help the body of our intoxicated partner treat these toxic substances is to give him milk, water or a mixture of both, as they will bind to the toxic product he ingested avoiding more serious damage.Textile softeners are highly toxic, so we must quickly take our dog to the veterinary emergency room.
Chlorine and bleach: The vast majority of cleaning products that we have at home contain bleach and therefore chlorine. Many dogs enjoy chewing on bottles of these products, drinking the water from the scrub bucket containing these mixed products, drinking the water from freshly treated pools, and swimming in them. The first symptoms to appear are dizziness, salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and depression. As first aid, we have to give milk or milk with water to our drunk companion with a syringe in his mouth silently allowing him to swallow by himself. This will make the milk bind to the chlorine, thus avoiding further damage to our dog. We should never induce vomiting, as you will vomit as a result of poisoning and inducing more vomiting will only weaken you and damage your digestive system, as bleach, chlorine, and stomach acids are corrosive. In this case, activated charcoal should not be given as it will have no effect. In the event that the poisoning does not occur by ingestion but by contact with the skin, we must immediately bathe our friend with a mild shampoo for dogs and rinse him with warm and abundant water so that there are no leftovers. After the bath, you should go to the vet to make sure there is no damage and what to do next.
Fluoride: This substance is found in products for the oral hygiene of humans, poisons for rats and environmental mites.Since fluoride is toxic to dogs and cats, we should never use our toothpaste to brush our teeth.You can find a special toothpaste for sale with different flavors that do not contain fluoride. Symptoms include nerve signs, gastroenteritis, increased heart rate and the level of fatal poisoning. In case of severe poisoning, the animal should immediately receive calcium gluconate or magnesium hydroxide intravenously or oral milk to bind to fluoride ions.
Coal tar: This toxic substance consists of several products such as cresol, creosota and phenols.They are found in household cleaning products and other products.This type of intoxication causes stimulation of the nervous system, weakening of the heart and liver damage, being the most common symptoms weakness, jaundice (yellow color of the skin and mucous membranes by increased bilirubin), loss of coordination, excessive rest in decubitus below and even in coma and depending on the level of poisoning, death.There is no specific treatment. But if you have recently ingested it, saline and coal solutions can be administered, followed by egg whites to minimize the corrosive effects of the poison.
Insecticides: Products containing chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds, pyrethrins or pyrethroids, carbamates and organophosphoreshed, all toxic to our dogs, symptoms in this case include frequent urination, excessive salivation, cramps, ataxia, shortness of breath and seizures.with 3% hydrogen peroxide followed by administration of activated charcoal.In all cases, it is best to urgently call the veterinarian to give the intoxicated dog the specific antidote of the type of active ingredient present in the insecticide that caused the poisoning.
Cant-ridas and other insects: Cantarida is an insect called Lytta vesicatoria, also known as the “Spanish fly” and that is metallic green.This insect contains a toxic chemical also called singing.It expels a highly irritating substance that causes blisters, on the skin and mucous membranes, we know that in small amounts, for example between 4 and 6 grams, they are toxic to cats, so for an average dog more grams are needed, but this can also cause poisoning.The most common symptoms are depression, abdominal pain, darkening of the mucous membranes, anorexia and irritation of the digestive and urinary tract. There is no specific treatment, but if we detect poisoning early, activated charcoal can help. The appropriate dose of activated charcoal will be explained in the next section and in case of severe poisoning, you should know that there are more insects that can cause poisoning and allergies in our dogs.
Alcohol: in the case of alcohol poisoning in dogs, the most common are ethanol (alcoholic beverages, disinfectant alcohol, fermentation mass and elixirs), methanol (cleaning products such as windshield wipers) and isopropyl alcohol (disinfectant alcohol and flea spray to alcohol base). for animals). The toxic dose is between 4 and 8 ml per kg of weight of the affected animal. Isopropyl alcohol is twice as toxic as ethanol. Poisoning by this type of alcohol is more common in our pets by skin absorption than by ingestion. Symptoms appear between the first half hour and one hour after poisoning. The most common are diarrhea, tremors, loss of coordination, vomiting, disorientation, shortness of breath and in the worst case due to this respiratory failure that eventually leads to the death of the animal. As first aid we must ensure ventilation, so we must take the dog to a place outdoors without being directly exposed to the sun, and if the alcohol consumption has been recent, vomiting should be caused. We should not give him activated charcoal because it will not help. Then we have to go to the vet to make sure you are no longer in danger.
Naphthaline balls: they are very toxic to dogs when ingested, the substances contained in these balls affect the liver and the central nervous system, symptoms include seizures and vomiting, you should never vomit, take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
These are foods we eat frequently, but they are among the most toxic foods for our furry friends:
Below we will advise you on the different ways to provide the products mentioned in the previous sections to treat poisonings in dogs:
If someone deliberately poisoned your dog, it’s a crime punishable by law!Read our article on how to report animal abuse.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest taking your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our First Aid section.