Act immediately if you suspect your pet has been poisoned. Symptoms of poisoning range from drooling, muscle spasms, and difficulty in breathing to vomiting, shivering and panting, bleeding from orifices, swelling, convulsions and coma. If you have the container, check it for an antidote to the poison. Seek veterinary help immediately.

Inducing vomiting in your pet may or may not be appropriate. If you can see sores or swelling in or around your pet’s mouth or tongue do not induce vomiting. If you suspect a particular product has poisoned your pet, check the following lists:

Induce vomiting: acetone; alcohol, all types; antifreeze; ant poison; arsenic; aspirin (cats); crayons; Diazonon; dichlorvos; drugs; insecticides; lead; Malathion; rat poison; shoe cleaner; shoe polish; Tylenol (cats); Warfarin

Do NOT induce vomiting: alkalis; bleach; burnt lime; chemicals; cleaners; cleaning fluid; coal oil; fertilizers; fuel oil; furniture polish; gasoline; kerosene; paint thinner; pine oil; strychnine

Substances to use to induce vomiting

The best choice for inducing vomiting is hydrogen peroxide, but salt or dry mustard will also work. Syrup of Ipecac will work, but may take up to 30 minutes or more. Retain any material your pet vomits so the vet can ascertain the type of poison ingested. Bring any packaging or container that may have contained the poison with you to the veterinarian.

Your pet may not want to swallow the substance that will induce vomiting. You can try to push a plastic eyedropper with hydrogen peroxide into the side of the animal’s mouth or use a syringe with NO needle. If one substance doesn’t cause vomiting, try the next.

Rinse off any poison that is on the animal’s fur or skin. Don’t use products like pHisoHex that are toxic when ingested and wear rubber gloves.

If the animal starts going into convulsions wrap him/her in a blanket or towel to prevent injury.

Even if you have successfully induced vomiting you should still use an antidote. Always contact your veterinarian for further treatment.

General Antidotes

Toxin Antidote Dosage

Acids 1. Milk of Magnesia dogs: 1 tsp per 5#, max. 8 tsp, one dose only.

cats: 1 tsp per 5#, one dose only.

2. baking soda dogs/cats: 25 mg per pound every 8 hours.

Alkalis 1. vinegar dogs/cats: 1 - 5 tsp.

2. lemon juice dogs/cats: 1 - 5 tsp.

General Poisons

Prevent absorption

1. activated charcoal dogs: per 30#: 2 heaping Tbs in 4 oz. water or 6 tablets.

cats: 1 heaping tsp in 1 oz water or 1 crushed tablet.

2. Kaopectate dogs/cats: 1 tsp per 5# with large amounts of water or milk every 2 - 6 hours.

Speed through the intestines

Milk of Magnesia dogs: 1 tsp per 5#, max. 8 tsp, one dose only.

cats: 1 tsp per 5#, one dose only.

Dilute the poison - increase urination

large amounts of water, milk, or weak tea.

Coat the intestines - slow down absorption

1. milk or vegetable oil dogs/cats: 1 -3 Tbs.

2. Kaopectate dogs/cats: 1 tsp per 5# with large amounts of water or milk every 2 - 6 hours.

3. pink bismuth dogs: 1 tsp per 20# every 4 hours.

(house brand of Pepto Bismol) cats: 1/2 tsp every 4 hours.

Common poisons

If you think your animal has been poisoned, seek veterinary help immediately!

Antifreeze (Ethylene Glycol): Careful observation may reveal the first stage of poisoning in which yout pet may act slightly drunk. This stage passes in a few hours and is easy to miss. Most people don’t notice their pet’s distress until the animal’s kidneys start to fail. The antifreeze should be flushed through the animal’s system as fast as possible. Thoroughly bathe the animal, particularly the paws. Seek veterinary help immediately. Many animals are poisoned after walking through antifreeze and then licking it from their paws.

Aspirin: Can cause severe bleeding, stomach upset, and other disorders. Very toxic to cats.

Chocolate: Chocolate contains xanthines, which are highly toxic to pets, especially small dogs. A 10 pound dog that eats a pound of chocolate can have a life-threatening reaction. Symptoms include excitability, restlessness, and muscle tremors. Breathing difficulties, seizures and coma may follow. There is no antidote. Induce vomiting and seek veterinary attention.

Flea Products: Any flea product containing organophosphates and carbamates including flea shampoos, powders, collars, sprays and dips can cause irregularities in the transmission of nerve impulses. Cats are very sensitive and dogs are slightly less sensitive -- although the amount used can be critical to toxicity. Using more than one method of flea control can be fatal -- dipping an animal and then putting a flea collar on, for example, may lead to illness or death. Symptoms include drooling, diarrhea, muscle tremors, lack of coordination, and breathing difficulties. Atropine is the antidote and should be given as early as possible. Bathe the animal (baby shampoo works well) thoroughly to remove the toxins.

Pyrethrins, a chrysanthemum derivative, are less toxic but some animal may react with symptoms like increased salivation, vomiting and depression. There is no antidote to pyrethrins -- call your vet if you suspect Pyrethrin poisoning.

Gopher Poison (Strychnine -- Causes seizures (not muscle tremors) and Snail/Slug Bait (Metaldehyde -- Causes muscle tremors): Within several hours of ingesting, muscle tremors (snail bait) or seizures (strychnine) will begin. Drooling and vomiting are common symptoms of snail bait ingestion. Extreme body temperature and liver damage may occur. There is no antidote. Sedate the dog until the poison has passed through the system. If caught early enough, the stomach can be pumped and activated charcoal may absorb some of the toxin.

Lead: May be found in wine bottle wrappers, batteries, caulking and plumbing materials. Symptoms develop gradually and include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains and lack of appetite and progress to disorientation, behavior changes, blindness and/or seizures. Lead in the stomach or intestines may show up on x-rays and prompt veterinary care can reverse most symptoms.

Motor Oil and petroleum products: Like antifreeze, these products are often ingested while an animal is grooming him/herself. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, disorientation and seizures. Bathe with a non-toxic degreasing soap whenever your pet gets oily products on their coat -- before ingestion! If ingested, seek veterinary care.

Mushrooms: Some wild mushrooms can cause irreversible liver damage. Take a sample of the wild mushroom your pet has eaten with you to the veterinarian.

Tar and products such as creosote and tannic acid contain phenol. Although this product is not usually ingested it poisons animals the same way that antifreeze does. Symptoms of phenol poisoning include muscle tremors, breathing difficulties, depression and coma. There is no antidote -- Seek veterinary care immediately.

Plant intoxication: In most cases, an animal who has eaten any of the following plants should have his/her stomach pumped. almond - breathing difficulties; amaryllis - vomiting; apricot pits - stupor; buckthorn - vomiting; caladium - swelling; calla lily, elephant’s ear, Jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage - immediate nausea; daffodil - diarrhea; English holly - abdominal pain; English ivy - immediate nausea; foxglove - abdominal pain; garden sorrel, glory lily - vomiting; honeysuckle - possible nerve involvement; horse chestnut - abdominal pain, diarrhea, immediate nausea; Jerusalem cherry - abdominal pain; lily of the valley - pupil dilation; mock orange - vomiting; mistletoe - irregular heartbeat; oleander - immediate nausea; peach pits - coma; poinsettia - possible kidney involvement; privet - delayed vomiting; rhubarb - diarrhea; wisteria, philodendron, dieffenbachia, holly - salivation; yew - vomiting.

Rat poison: Sweet taste is appealing to rats and dogs. Interferes with the proper clotting of the blood. Symptoms, which can take from five to 10 days to occur, include nosebleeds, blood in the urine or stool, vomiting with blood, and hematoma (red to purple lump - bruising). If you suspect your pet has eaten rat poison call your vet immediately.

Snakebites: All snakebites should be seen by a veterinarian. Poisonous snakebites leave a u-shaped tooth pattern with fang punctures that may bleed, emit a discharge and cause rapid swelling in the area of the bite. Swelling will increase to include the leg or muzzle where the bite occurred and the wound may turn purplish-blue. The bitten animal will be in pain and may try to bite.

Poisonous snakes have fangs, their heads are larger, their eyes are oval and there is a distinctive indentation behind the nostrils. (Except coral snakes who have small heads and round eyes, black noses and red, yellow and black rings around their bodies.)

If you think your pet has been bitten by a poisonous snake, muzzle him/her immediately. (The pain of the bite will increase and your animal will not allow you near). Carry the animal to the car and to the vet’s office to keep the venom from traveling through his/her system. Antivenin must be given as soon as possible, so seek veterinary help immediately.

Tylenol (Acetaminophen): Tylenol is extremely toxic to cats. Seek veterinary help immediately. Feline systems do not make the enzyme needed to break down acetaminophen into harmless substances that can be eliminated. Toxic by-products build up and can be fatal.

Household products poisonous to pets: antifreeze, aspirin, bleach, brake fluid, carburetor cleaner, cleaning fluid, crayons, deodorants, detergent, diet pills, disinfectants, dry shampoo, dye, engine lubricants, fire extinguishers, fungicides, furniture polish, gasoline, hair lotion, hair spray, herbicides, insect repellent, insecticides, kerosene, lead, lye, matches, metal polish, mothballs, nail polish, nail polish remover, paint, paint remover, pencils, pens, perfume, permanent wave lotion, pest control products (rat poison, ant poison, but sprays, etc., pHisoHex, photographic supplies (developers, fixatives, etc.), quicklime, rubbing alcohol, shoe polish, sleeping pills, soap, suntan lotion, tar turpentine, Tylenol, varnish, wax, Windex, and windshield wiper fluid.

Basically, anything labeled "keep out of reach of children" should also be kept out of our pets’ reach. Cleaning fluids are particularly dangerous, as we often leave them open on the floor where they are easily knocked over by curious dogs or cats who then walk through them or inhale the fumes.

("First Aid for Pets" by David Smith, DVM - 1992)

Sugar-Free Gum and Snacks Can be Deadly for Pets

by Kirsten Taylor   Sept. 2009

Soap bubbles: Good. Bubblegum: Bad!

Most pet owners know that chocolate is a big no-no for dogs. But here's something to chew on: a common ingredient in sugarless gum and snacks can cause a canine catastrophe.

The culprit is a sweetener called xylitol. While you may never have heard of it, there's a good chance you have it in your house. Xylitol is common in sugarless gum and in sugar-free snacks, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Cases of xylitol poisoning in dogs have increased in recent years as the sweetener has been added to lots of new foods, Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, vice president of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, told Paw Nation. "There definitely has been an increase in the exposures of dogs to xylitol over the last several years, simply because there's more xylitol out there."

The chemical is completely safe for humans and most other animals, but in dogs, xylitol causes blood sugar levels to plummet. When blood sugar drops, Gwaltney-Brant says, "the brain isn't getting enough energy to do its job." After swallowing xylitol, dogs may vomit and become lethargic and disoriented. "If blood sugar drops low enough, they can have seizures," Gwaltney-Brant says. Without treatment, dogs can die.

That's not all. Dogs that eat a lot of xylitol can also suffer from liver damage. Researchers aren't sure what causes the liver problems, Gwaltney-Brant says, but the results can be grave.

A little xylitol goes a long way. Just two sticks of sugarless gum can be fatal for a 20-pound dog, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune, and a single sugar-free pudding cup can spell trouble for a 90-pound pooch. But those numbers can be misleading, Gwaltney-Brant cautions. Some brands of gum or candy contain no xylitol, while others contain relatively large amounts. Even within a single brand, the level of xylitol can vary from flavor to flavor and batch to batch, she says.

If you know or suspect your dog has gotten into foods that might contain xylitol, take him to the vet immediately, Gwaltney-Brant says. Problems from blood sugar levels dropping can occur quickly -- "often within 30 minutes to an hour," she notes. Vets can monitor blood sugar levels and start treatment to get blood sugar back up to safe levels.

If you're a fan of sugar-free products, check the labels to see whether they contain xylitol. And it should go without saying that you should do your best to keep Fido away from your gum.