What can I do if my dog is intoxicated?

If your dog has been vomiting, excessive salivation, muscle tremors, diarrhea, poor mood and incoordination while walking could be a sign of possible poisoning.

The first, and most important of all, is to go to the veterinary urgently as soon as you possibly can. One of our main recommendations is that if you live or are currently staying far from the office of your trusted doctor, identify veterinary centers near the place in order to take your pets for primary care or emergencies.

There are temporary solutions to prevent the animal from getting worse or dying before we can take them to the veterinarian; with these actions we can minimize the damage to their  bodies.

The main recommendation will always be, that if the dog has been poisoned by ingestion, wash the patient’s muzzle in a downward position, this to prevent the liquid from going to the animal’s lungs.  

One of the most common recommendations on the internet is to give hydrogen peroxide or salt water to our pets in order for them to vomit before the poison is absorbed or to expel whatever they ingested. Although in small quantities it can be a good solution, these two substances tend to cause large amounts of irritation in the stomach lining, and could even generate a gastritis ulcer, this is why it is not fully recommended; in the end, it may cause our doggie more harm than good.

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TO PREVENT THE DOG’S BODY FROM ABSORBING THE TOXIC, TO DILUTE THE TOXIC OR CLEAN THEIR INTESTINE:

- Activated carbon:
It is important that as pet owners we get used to having activated carbon in our household. This can be consumed in two ways: in a pill, or diluted in water, for the latter we should always give it carefully so that it does not go to our puppies’ lungs.
1 to 5 grams of activated carbon should be supplied per kilo of animal weight. The doses can be repeated every 2 to 4 hours.

- Milk or milk and water: With milk alone (preferably without lactose) or with milk diluted in 50% water. We can give the doggie a glass or everything that the dog wants or can consume.

- Milk and oil: We will give the same thing only that for every 3 parts of milk we will add a teaspoon of olive or sunflower oil.

- Bread: Give him all the bread he can eat.

- Tea and burned bread: We can boil a cup and a half of water and add 4 black tea bags. Remove the bags. Toast bread to burn it or burn it in the fire directly, crush and mix with the tea until a dough is formed. Give it to the dog very little by little, every 15 minutes.

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IF THE DOG HAS BEEN WET OR SUBMERGED IN A TOXIC OR HARMFUL PRODUCT:

- If the puppy has been in contact with the toxic at a skin level, it is important to wash immediately with cold water and in the shade, since both the hot water and the sun will cause vasodilation, which will cause the skin to absorb the venom even faster.

There are many ways in which our pet can get intoxicated: premeditated poisoning, food poisoning, human medication psychoactive drugs, cleaning or corrosive products, insecticides or even other animals such as snakes or toads. As responsible pet parents, we must prevent intoxication by keeping potentially dangerous substances on shelves or in closed boxes proofed for children and animals.

When our pets have consumed substances such as rat poison or insecticides, it is important to clarify that we’ll most likely do not see symptoms immediately, on the contrary they will appear between 48 and 72 hours after the intake; this is because the poison does not affect the digestive system of the animal, but his blood circulation. If you are aware that the poisoning was with pest control products, it is best that you carry the product bag with you to the vet, so that the doctor is better informed about what he is dealing with.