As vets, we see far too many dogs who have, one way or another, been poisoned. In fact, one recent study by the British Veterinary Association suggested that 94% of vets had seen at least one poisoning case in the previous year – and the average was one a month, so it isn’t a rare problem! However, there are a lot of common beliefs surrounding poisoning (and what constitutes a poison) in pets and, in this blog, we’d like to explore some of them and introduce our new online Poisons Guide that we hope will help to save you (and your vets’!) time and anxiety, by helping you to determine how serious a possible poisoning incident is.
Myths and Realities…
1) Things are either safe or toxic, there’s no middle ground
Actually, the opposite is true – almost anything can be poisonous if enough of it is absorbed; the converse is also true – if the dose absorbed is small enough, most things are (relatively) harmless. That said, there are some substances out there where we’d strongly recommend urgent veterinary attention if any had been ingested, because the potential effects are so severe. Treatment before symptoms appear is also most likely to be successful!
2) Most poisonings are deliberate
Absolutely untrue – deliberate poisonings of dogs (and even cats) are actually pretty rare. It’s far more common for pets to eat something that’s either been accidentally left out (like medicines, rubbish, or foodstuffs), or given to them in ignorance (like onion or garlic).
3) If we can eat it, animals can too – after all, we work the same way
There’s a grain of truth in this – yes, humans and other mammals are more similar than we are different. However, there are some very significant species differences – and humans are more resistant to poisons than almost any other mammal – and certainly more so than dogs or cats. One medical toxicologist I once spoke to argued that humans have been trying every type of poison for thousands of years looking for “a good night out” (alcohol, opium poppies, hemp, various mushrooms – you name it, our ancestors tried it), and as a result, we’ve evolved to cope with them better than our more sensible companions!
With so much confusion out there, we thought we’d try to help…
Many years ago, my colleagues and I started working to try and expand our Symptom Checker to include poisons. At the time, we didn’t make that much headway; however, the technology has improved so dramatically recently that, last year, we reopened the project.
The end result is that we’ve built a unique Poisons Guide that will help you to determine what you need to do if your dog’s eaten something they shouldn’t. By answering questions about what your pet has eaten, about them and their health, and about how they’re doing right now, you allow the Guide to give you the most appropriate advice. Is it actually poisonous or not? Is your pet at risk? Do you need to call your vet? Is it urgent, or will it wait until the morning? Is this something you can manage at home – and if so, what should you be watching out for? If you need a vet (perhaps you’re away from home, on holiday, or haven’t got a practice at the moment), our find a vet system can you help you find the top rated one in your area.
As far as we are aware, this is the very first interactive Poisons Guide of its kind on the internet – and we’re really excited about it! We’re hoping that it will help you, as animal owners, to avoid the common pitfalls – either assuming something’s safe when it isn’t, potentially harming your pet; or assuming something’s more dangerous than it is and unnecessarily harming your wallet (and your vet’s sleep!).
At the moment, it only works for dogs – but don’t worry, we are working on a cat one too! However, dogs are more likely to be exposed to a wider range of poisons than cats (being greedier, perhaps?!), so we have fast-tracked the dog Poison Guide. Eventually, we hope to have one available for all the common companion species in the UK!
Do you want to know whether what your pet’s just eaten might be dangerous? Try out the Poisons Guide here! And if you’ve got any comments or feedback on it… please let us know! Meanwhile, if you’re concerned that something not on our guide is poisonous or you want to get more detailed advice about your own pet, try contacting the VPIS in-house Animal PoisonLine for advice.
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