Pet Poisons to Avoid!

Things around the house that don’t seem poisonous… but are…

At the young age of seven, I came to the childhood recognition, like every other girl out there, that I wanted to become a veterinarian. Being a die-hard animal lover, I was shocked to find out decades later that the way I medicated my childhood dog was deadly. I used to gently place the daily prednisone pill for my dog, Yi-nian (which translates into “man’s best friend” in Chinese) in the middle of a grape, only to have him gulp it down without suspecting anything. Little did I know that my loving way of medicating him could have been slowly killing him.

Nowadays, as an emergency critical care veterinary specialist, I’m well aware of all the acute toxicities out there, and have had both sad and happy outcomes – with most of the toxicities having been preventable. One of my favorite survivors was a dog named Harper. She had eaten over two pounds of raisins, and the owners didn’t realize that grapes and raisins were poisonous. The owners ended up bringing in Harper days later once she was lethargic and had stopped eating; by that point, she had already developed severe kidney failure. Unfortunately for her owners, her bill topped out at $ 8,000 (but fortunately, we were able to save her from the brink of death). Had the owners known about this toxicity earlier, they could have brought Harper into the vet immediately after they noticed their raisin container empty – and we could have induced emesis (pumped her stomach and made her vomit) for about $ 300 without her developing any kidney failure to begin with… had she vomited up all the poison. That said, the unusual thing about grape and raisin toxicity is that it is idiosyncratic – in other words, it causes kidney failure in some dogs but not all dogs, and it’s not dose-dependent (in other words, one dog can eat a tiny amount and develop severe toxicity, while another dog can eat pounds of grapes or raisins without it ever causing a problem). It’s an individual effect – some dogs may never be affected (thankfully, like Yi-nian), and some are severely affected. When in doubt, keep them out of paws’ reach.

Didn’t know that grapes or raisins are poisonous to your dog, or that the bouquet of flowers that your beau got you can kill your cat with one leaf? When it comes to commonly known toxins, most pet lovers know that household poisons like chocolate, antifreeze, and poinsettias are poisonous. Unfortunately, as an emergency veterinary specialist, I’m still shocked that people don’t know about the more dangerous toxicities out there that are sitting right in your house or yard. Here are the most common toxicities that are suddenly showing up as problems, at least in my ER.

You know that pack of gum you have in your purse? If your dog likes to stick his schnooz in your purse to dig around for something tasty, be aware. With the increase in popularity of sugarless gum (i.e., Trident, Orbitz, Ice Breakers), we’ve been seeing an increased number of toxicities from xylitol, an artificial sweetener. While this doesn’t cause a problem in humans, it causes severe hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and acute hepatic necrosis (liver failure) when ingested by dogs. As little as one pack of gum or two muffins made with this sweetener can be fatal without immediate treatment, which includes decontamination (in other words, inducing vomiting and pumping the stomach immediately), activated charcoal (to bind up all that poisonous product), and intravenous fluids. Thankfully, most animals recover quickly, but the sooner we find out – the better. That way it’s easier for us to decontaminate the toxicity from their system.

Another common toxicity that’s dangerous when your dog rummages through your purse is that cute plastic chew toy – you know, your asthma inhaler. While you may think that metal albuterol inhaler is too tough to chew through, your dog’s sharp teeth often easily puncture the container. If this happens, and your dog inhales a jet of albuterol, he can collapse and get extremely weak. This can immediately cause a life-threatening drop in the body’s potassium, one of the electrolytes important for salt balance, resulting in potentially fatal arrhythmias. Immediate IV fluids, treatment, and continuous heart monitoring (with an electrocardiogram) are necessary to treat this toxicity acutely. So when in doubt, keep those purses out of reach.

For those of you who have pet-proofed your house, don’t think you’re immune. Think you’re safe leaving your pet outside in your fenced-in yard? While we commend you for providing a nice, “safe” yard to play in, I never recommend leaving your pet outside unsupervised. There are numerous backyard toxins that could rapidly poison your pet. For example, that compost pile in the corner of the yard. There’s a reason why gardening stores tell you to fence in and cover your compost – all that rotting organic matter actually contains fungal-like chemicals called aflatoxins and mycotoxins in it, and can quickly poison any animal (including wildlife). Clinical signs are seen within hours, and include severe trembling and seizures that result in hyperthermia (a high temperature from having severe muscle tremors). Treatment includes intravenous (IV) muscle relaxants and IV fluids, and thankfully, compost toxicity is rarely fatal with treatment. While I commend you for composting for the sake of the environment, fence off your pile for the sake of your pets.

Likewise, if you let your cat outdoors, your neighbors’ Easter lilies, Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies, and even some day lilies (are you getting the hint?) can kill her. As little as one leaf, pedal, or bite of stem can cause severe, irreversible kidney failure within as little as a day, and even aggressive hemodialysis and IV fluids may not help. Signs include generalized malaise, lack of urination, vomiting, and not eating, and if you notice those signs by then, unfortunately it may be too late. When in doubt, keep this common backyard plant and more common floral arrangement plant out of your cat’s reach.

If you notice your pet get into something, never assume it’s safe. A lot of products out there are very toxic to dogs and cats, as they have a different metabolism than we humans . When in doubt, contact a vet or a Pet Poison Helpline immediately. While there may be a fee to be seen by your emergency vet or to call a helpline, it’ll detect a problem sooner and help protect your pet and your pocketbook.

HINTS:
• When in doubt, always call an emergency veterinary clinic if you saw your pet ingest something abnormal – the receptionist or technician may be able to counsel you on what to do when your pet gets into something toxic.
• When it comes to our pet’s health, always call one of the Poison Control Hotlines across the country to find out more information: www.petpoisonhelpline.com

Signing off,

Dr. Justine Lee