Poisoning in dogs can be serious and potentially lethal. Most dog poisonings are accidental, though many people tend to associate poisoning in dogs as a malicious act. Protecting the dog from toxic substances is the responsibility of the dog owner.
Antifreeze is a fairly common toxic substance that dogs ingest. dogs can become victims of antifreeze poisoning if they come in contact with open containers of antifreeze or antifreeze has spilled or is leaking from a car.
A dog does not need to consume much antifreeze to become poisoned. The first signs of antifreeze poisoning in dogs is restlessness, staggering, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, unconsciousness, confusion, excessive thirst, and frequent urination.
The veterinarian should be contacted immediately if the dog owner suspects the dog has been poisoned. Dog poisoning is a veterinary emergency.
Another toxic substance responsible for some dog poisoning is rat poison. Poisoning in dogs from rat poison can cause diarrhea, nosebleeds, blood in urine, fever, muscle tremors, and vomiting. The dog has the best chance of recovery if treated promptly after the poisoning even though symptoms may not appear for several hours.
Poisoning from insect poison can cause seizures, especially in response to loud noises. Death can result from poisoning in dogs from insect poison. The dog owner should induce vomiting if the dog ingested insect poison.
Dogs can be poisoned by ingesting certain plants. Eating toxic plants causes different symptoms depending on the type of plant ingested. A list of plants that are poisonous to dogs should be consulted. These toxic plants should never be accessible to dogs.
Cleaning chemicals and drain cleaner are dangerous for dogs. The dog owner should not induce vomiting for some household chemicals. Some chemicals would burn the dog’s esophagus while the dog is vomiting which could increase the damage to the esophagus.
Poisonings in dogs need to be handled differently depending on the substance ingested. The dog owner should call the veterinarian or poison control immediately after suspecting the dog was poisoned. If necessary, inducing vomiting can be done by squirting hydrogen peroxide at the back of the dog’s tongue with a turkey baster.
