Symptoms of Dog Poisoning

If you think your dog may have eaten something he shouldn’t have such as rotten food, cleaning products or medicines, you need to know how to be sure your dog is still well. The following are a few of the symptoms of dog poisoning that you can look out for. A lot of these symptoms are quite similar to those in human poisoning, and some of them can be indicative of other conditions and ailments.

·        Irritation or swelling of the mouth and throat

·        Drinking excessive amounts of water

·        Drooling or discharge from the nose

·        Stomach pain or cramps

·        Loss of balance or coordination

·        Change of color in urine

·        Vomiting

·        Diarrhea

·        Tremors, Convulsions or Seizures

·        Respiratory problems

·        Paralysis

·        Erratic heart rate

Some symptoms are extremely specific. For example, rat poison can prevent blood clotting which can mean that small injuries become quite serious, and if ingested it can cause internal bleeding which if not treated quickly enough can lead to death. Sometimes internal bleeding can be diagnosed by blood in the dog’s urine.

Other quite specific symptoms result from gas poisoning; hydrocarbon fumes such as those from a heater leaking fuel or gasoline fumes, for example. Due to the way in which the fumes fill the lungs and cut off the oxygen supply to the brain, this kind of poisoning can result in hallucinations and dizziness, and behavioural signs are things like the dog running round in circles or snapping at air.

 

What to do if you Suspect Poisoning

If your dog displays any of the symptoms of dog poisoning, you need to seek proper veterinarian treatment as soon as possible. The very first thing to do is call your vet and ask for advice. If your dog has been poisoned, there are things you can do to help, but it depends on exactly what he has eaten. For example, inducing vomiting can help the dog to clear out whatever is causing the problem and a mixture often used for this is made up of a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide and a teaspoon of milk.

You should never try to induce vomiting in cases of chemical poisoning such as cleaning products or gasoline or if the dog is in a stupor. In these cases trying to make the dog throw up can actually make it worse. Always at least ask your vet before trying something like this. It will be much easier if you know the exact cause, but even if you don’t, the vet will be able to tell you what to do.

Watching out for the symptoms of dog poisoning can prevent a bad accident from becoming a fatal one .Of course in an ideal world we would be able to watch our dogs every second and be sure he didn’t eat anything he shouldn’t, but this isn’t always possible. Knowing the signs and what to do in the event of poisoning can save your dog’s life.