Poisoning in dogs: symptoms, causes, first aid

The most important facts in brief:

• **Sources of poisoning: **Household items (medicines, cleaning agents, chocolate), garden products (fertilizers, pesticides) and on the move (poisoned bait, carrion) are possible sources of danger.

• **Recognize symptoms: **Restlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, pale gums and unconsciousness may indicate poisoning.

• **First aid: **Keep calm, place the dog in the recovery position and seek veterinary advice immediately. Activated charcoal can help to bind the toxins.

• **Veterinary information: **The type of poison, time of ingestion and observed symptoms are important for rapid and targeted treatment.

  Table of contents

  Remember:** If possible, existing poison samples, vomit or settled feces should be taken to the veterinarian. This will allow the doctor to identify the poison and treat it properly.

What can my dog get poisoned by and where can this happen? Here you can find out which things in your household and outdoors are poisonous for your pet. Make sure he doesn't get a hold of the poisons.

At home:

• Medications (Some are more toxic and some less, generally speaking, but all medications should be kept out of your dog's reach!)
• Drugs
• Household chemicals (cleaning agents, detergents, solvents, paints, etc.)
• Cigarettes, cigarette butts, tobacco, tobacco products
• Nicotine acts as a neurotoxin!
• Especially in puppies, nicotine can lead to circulatory collapse.
• Poisonous plants, poisonous houseplants
• Antifreeze
• Alcohol
• Chocolate
• Salt
• Stone fruit
• raw pork
• raw potatoes
• Onions
• Grapes

In the garden:

• Poison bait
• Rat poison
• Pesticides
• Slug pellets
• Fertilizer, lawn fertilizer,
• Agricultural chemicals, herbicides, sprays
• Poisonous plants
• Poisonous mushrooms

when going for a walk:

• also here poison bait, rat poison or slug pellets
• Fertilizers, blue grain, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, pesticides - often particularly highly concentrated in puddles at the edge of the field
• Poisonous plants
• Carrion
• poisoned mice, rats, moles, shrews, grasshoppers, insects, etc.
• Waste for which the composition is unknown
• If your dog has severe swelling and blue-black skin discoloration after a walk, it could be a snake bite.
• Some dogs ingest the feces of other animals, this feces can be highly dangerous for the dog if the feces are contaminated with pharmaceuticals or even pathogens.
• When walking, insects such as hornets and wasps can become a danger because the proteins contained in their venom can cause anaphylactic shock.

If your four-legged friend has really been poisoned, the most important thing is to stay calm. Panic is no help, because a cool head and considered action are now required. Try to have a calming effect on your furry friend and everyone else.

If your pet is unconscious, place them in the recovery position and keep checking their pulse and breathing. Has your pet fainted or vomited? Then make sure their airways are clear.

Under no circumstances should you use a muzzle or a muzzle in the event of poisoning! If your pet vomits now, there is a risk of suffocation.

Likewise, you should not force vomiting in any case, this will probably worsen the condition and in addition valuable time will be lost.

In the event of poisoning, a veterinarian must always be consulted immediately. He knows what to do and will arrange everything else.

Not only should you know the individual types of poison. Because knowledge about toxic and harmful foods are also important. Here are more articles on this topic.

• [

** What can dogs not eat? ](https://www.hundeo.com/en/care/what-dogs-dont-eat/)

• [

** What can dogs not eat? ](https://www.hundeo.com/en/care/what-dogs-dont-eat/)

• [

** What you should know about charcoal tablets ](https://www.hundeo.com/en/care/charcoal-tablets/)

• [

** How to protect your dog from water poisoning ](https://www.hundeo.com/en/care/water-poisoning/)

In order to recognize poisoning as quickly as possible, you should know the possible symptoms, which are listed below. They are very diverse and can vary in severity from case to case.

• Unrest
• vomiting, the vomit, with possibly foamy consistency
• Diarrhea
• irregular heartbeat, therefore monitor the heartbeat by taking the pulse
• pale gums
• unusual pupil size, either strongly constricted or also dilated
• Blood in urine
• Blood in stool
• Cramps
• constant or recurrent cat hump or prayer position as the most severe abdominal pain symptoms
• Muscle tremor
• Paralysis symptoms
• decreasing body temperature, monitor temperature!
• Apathy
• Unconsciousness

If you have observed the absorption of toxins, you can use charcoal tablets made from medicinal charcoal as a remedy. The activated charcoal binds the toxins in the gastrointestinal tract so that the toxins cannot enter the bloodstream.

Thereby applies: The faster the activated charcoal comes into contact with the poison in the stomach and intestinal tract, the higher the effectiveness.

What are charcoal tablets?

Charcoal tablets consist of medicinal charcoal obtained from plant parts such as wood, peat or coconut shells. The plant parts are charred in such a way that only the skeletal structure with the plant cells is left at the end.

This activated carbon is highly porous like a sponge, thus the fabric has a surface area of up to 300 m²per gram. The total surface area of four grams of activated carbon is thus about the size of a soccer field.**

Due to this structure, activated carbon is able to bind chemical substances such as toxins to itself and thus render them harmless to the body. Once the toxic substances are bound to the charcoal, they are excreted with the feces through the intestines. The feces are black in color. This is due to the color of the charcoal and is completely harmless.

Therefore, every dog owner should have an emergency ration of charcoal tablets for his protégé at home!

Keep your dog warm...

Please note that due to the onset of toxins, the circulation can be very weakened and the body temperature will drop. Therefore, you should cover your four-legged friend and keep him warm until you arrive at the vet.

Pad the area around your pet with a blanket or pillow. This will prevent him from hurting himself during seizures.

Inform your vet before you set off to make sure that the practice or clinic is open. If possible, find a helper. Help will be needed, especially with large dogs.

To be prepared as well as possible and to act quickly. Poisoning in dogs is not an easy subject and must be taken seriously. This is a first guide, but the veterinarian should always be your first port of call.

In any case, for safety and first aid, we recommend that you always have a pack of charcoal tablets at home.

To save valuable time, help the vet by telling him what he needs to know:

• What poison did the dog eat?
• Is there a sample of the poison?
• When did your dog eat the poison?
• What behavioral problems and symptoms could you observe?
• How much poison did the dog eat?

If possible, bring the doctor some of the poison that your pet has eaten. Preferably with the packaging and the ingredients. If your pet has already vomited or defecated, take a sample of this with you.

The faster the doctor has all the necessary information, the faster and more targeted your furry nose can be helped.

Poisoning is one of the most dangerous emergencies for your four-legged friend. That is exactly why it is so important for us to prepare you for these cases.

*(Of course, a guidebook is a good source of information on this subject, but you should always consult your trusted vet if you have any doubts). *

Here, little by little, come our comprehensive guides to problematic poisons for dogs and what you should know about them.

Veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic

I am a veterinarian and writer on animal health topics. Animals are my passion, and it is my personal goal to create medically accurate articles and videos to educate pet owners as much as possible.

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