Archive for April, 2010

Rodenticide Toxins: Rat Poison and Pets

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Unfortunately, many pets get into toxins — even toxins that were meant to get rid of pests like mice and rats. An extremely common type of toxicity is rodenticide, or rat poison. There are three main groups of rat poison used, and they can all be very toxic to dogs and cats (and even our exotic pets, too). The most common type of rat poison used is an anticoagulant poison and include chemicals such as brodifacoum and bromadiolone. This type of toxin prevents blood from clotting by decreasing the body’s amount of usable Vitamin K1, which is used in several clotting factors — meaning that pets that eat this toxin cannot clot their blood properly. Approximately 2-3 days after ingestion, pets can start to bleed from their gums and their gastrointestinal tract, and they can bleed into body cavities such as the chest, abdomen or joints. You might see blood in your pet’s mouth, abnormal bruising, or blood in their vomit or stool, or they may look pale, have difficulty breathing, have an enlarged abdomen, or have joint swelling. Testing often involves evaluating your pet’s clotting times, and treatment at this stage frequently involves a hospital stay, plasma, possibly a blood transfusion, and repeat blood work with possible radiographs or an ultrasound.

Patients that usually have the best prognosis from this type of toxicity are those that are actually seen eating the rat poison by their owners, who then bring them in for treatment right away. Upon arrival, decontamination and treatment to prevent bleeding disorders are initiated. Decontamination often involves initiating vomiting and giving activated charcoal orally. Most patients are started on Vitamin K1 as well, to increase the amount of usable Vitamin K1 in the body and prevent clotting abnormalities. When treatment is started soon after ingestion, most patients recover very well, so getting your pet to the animal hospital quickly is extremely important.

The two other types of rat poison used are cholecalciferol/vitamin D3 rat poison and bromethalin. Cholecalciferol increases the amount of calcium in the body, which can deposit on organs and cause organ dysfunction, including kidney failure. Vague symptoms, including depression, anorexia, vomiting, and increased drinking and urinating, may be seen 1-2 days after ingestion. Once severe clinical signs are seen, treatment is usually aggressive and normally involves hospitalization — and due to the advanced effects of the toxin, the pet may not survive. Again, early treatment and decontamination will likely lead to a much better prognosis for your pet.

Bromethalin poisoning produces neurologic signs, such as disorientation or stumbling, tremors, and paralysis, and a pet that has ingested this toxin may start to show signs 10-24 hours after ingestion — but the symptoms can progress for 1 to 2 weeks. Again, pets with severe signs often need to be hospitalized with aggressive therapy, and patients that are brought in immediately for decontamination have a much better chance for recovery.

If your pet has ingested any toxin — especially rat poison — bring him/her to a veterinarian immediately for early treatment. And be sure to bring with you the container that the poison came in, so we can direct our treatment appropriately.

To prevent accidental ingestion and help avoid these kinds of poisonings, keep all toxins — including those intended to kill rodents — well out of reach of your pets.

© 2010 Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital. All rights reserved.

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Spring Toxins: Cats and Lilies, Dogs and Chocolate

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

With spring upon us and Easter just behind us, two very common pet toxicities are out in many households: lilies, the number-one cat toxicity, and chocolate, the number-one dog toxicity.

Lily Toxicity in Cats
Lilies can be extremely toxic to cats. The leaves are the most toxic part of the plant, but the stems and flowers are also toxic. Ingestion of even a small amount of the plant can cause severe signs of poisoning. Initially, the cat may vomit, lose its appetite, and or become lethargic or depressed. Without proper veterinary care, these signs will continue to worsen, and the cat will develop kidney failure usually within 36-48 hours. Signs of kidney failure include drinking and urinating more frequently, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Many cats will not survive once they get to this stage, so acting quickly to get them treatment is crucial.

Toxicity and kidney failure have been caused by the following lilies:

• Easter Lily Lilium Longiflorum
• Tiger Lily Lilium Tigrinum
• Rubrum Lily Lilium Speciosum
• Japanese Show Lily Lilium Lancifolium
• Day Lily Hemerocallis Species

Precautions cat owners can take include:

• #1: Do not allow your cat to have access to lilies.

• #2: Should your cat ingest lilies, seek veterinary care immediately. The best results for decontamination are if emergency treatment occurs within 6-8 hours of ingestion. The likely course of action might include inducing vomiting in your cat and administering IV fluids to flush the kidneys.

Chocolate Toxicity
While chocolate is toxic to both dogs and cats, most of our chocolate toxicity patients are dogs. Darker and unsweetened chocolate contains more of the toxin theobromide. Toxic doses for a 50-lb. dog would be approximately 48 oz. of milk chocolate, 16 oz. of semisweet chocolate, or 5 oz. of baker’s chocolate (these are approximate doses only — all dogs react differently to chocolate).

Clinical signs of chocolate toxicity usually occur within 1-4 hours after ingestion and include: vomiting; diarrhea; hyperactivity; muscle tremors; elevated heart rate; seizures; and, in severe cases, coma and death. Although there is no antidote to chocolate, the prognosis for survival is usually good with aggressive supportive care initiated within 8 hours of ingestion. Decontamination might include inducing vomiting in your dog/cat, giving your pet activated charcoal to absorb what is left in the GI tract, and IV fluids. So be sure to hide your chocolate from your pets and seek veterinary care as soon as possible should your animal get into your Easter stash.

Happy Spring!!!

© 2010 Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital. All rights reserved.

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When dogs attack …

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

When dogs get into a fight, it is very often a big dog attacking a smaller dog. This occurs so often, in fact, that the veterinary community has a widely recognized acronym for it — BDLD, which stands for “Big Dog-Little Dog” — and it almost always results in an emergency situation.

When your dog plays with a rope toy, he might grab it and shake it vigorously in his mouth. Unfortunately, this is also what most dogs do with the smaller dogs they attack. Besides the more obvious puncture wounds the smaller dog receives from the teeth, there are also often more serious, unseen injuries: brain and spinal cord injuries, and severe damage to internal organs. BDLD injuries are sometimes compared to an iceberg: The bigger, serious problems often lie below the surface. While external injuries may appear minor, the power of a dog’s biting jaw can cause serious internal injuries that may result in the loss of your pet — especially if you don’t act quickly to get them proper veterinary care. In addition, the crushing forces of its jaws can also cause micro-damage to the blood vessels in the skin, causing the blood supply to the surrounding area to be compromised. Bruising will almost always develop a few days after the injury, and it is very common for the skin immediately surrounding the puncture wounds to die. Intense wound care is needed as quickly as possible, until the body can heal the wound on its own. This can sometimes require many weeks of care and sometimes also requires additional surgery.

“Juno,” a Toy Poodle, came to Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital one evening after being attacked by a neighbor’s dog. She had some obvious puncture wounds to her neck and and abdomen, but despite having just been attacked, Juno was bright and alert, and even wagging her tail!

Juno’s owner thought that her dog just needed some pain medication and antibiotics. But after counseling her on the seriousness of Juno’s injuries, the owner agreed to let us take some X-rays. It was obvious from the X-rays that Juno’s puncture wounds had pierced her intestines, which were now leaking gas and fluid into her belly, and emergency surgery was needed.

Thankfully, Juno’s owner consented to the surgery. Multiple parts of Juno’s intestines had been punctured, and infection had already begun to set in. Her neck wounds were also explored, and a small nick in her jugular vein was detected. All of Juno’s injuries were repaired, and she stayed in the hospital to receive pain medication, fluids and antibiotics until she could be transferred to her family veterinarian. And Juno went on to make a full recovery.

Had it not been for the quick actions of Juno’s owners and the staff at Greenbrier, Juno surely would have succumbed to her wounds. This is also a perfect example of how deceptively brave little dogs can be, despite having suffered very serious injuries or illness — just because your dog may look and act fine after a run-in with another dog, do not assume he or she is fine. Quick response and a thorough examination are always required in these situations!

As a side note, to avoid BDLD confrontations, it is recommended that you always keep both your large and small dogs on a leash at all times when in public.

© 2010 Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital. All rights reserved.

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