Over 200,000 pets ingest something poisonous in the U.S. each year, and this is likely far underestimated due to underreporting. Poison ingestion can happen in various ways. It is usually caused by eating something toxic accidentally, however, there are other ways pets come into contact with poisons, such as intentional poisoning. Regardless of how your pet ingested a poison, it is crucial to try to identify the source of the poison and get veterinary help quickly.
Source Identification is Crucial
The problem with treating a dog or cat for poisoning is that unless you know the source of the toxin, it may be very difficult to figure it out. Without knowing which poison is causing the issue, the pet may be misdiagnosed and not given the appropriate treatment.
The Symptoms Depend on the Source
Not all poisonous substances affect pets the same. Different substances cause different symptoms, so there’s no exhaustive list of symptoms for pet poisoning. This is another reason that figuring out what has caused the poisoning symptoms is essential…figuring out the poison source from the symptoms is incredibly difficult.
Some Common Poisoning Symptoms
While we could never list every symptom you might see with pet poisoning, there are some fairly common symptoms that we often see:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Excessive salivation
- Loss of appetite
- Nose bleeds
- Racing heart rate
- Pale gums
- Coughing up blood
- Vomiting blood
- Dry heaving
- Excessive thirst
- Inability to urinate
- Blood in the urine
- Black, tarry stools
- Confusion
- Lethargy
- Hyperactivity
- Jaundice
- Collapse
- Seizures or tremors
If you believe your pet has ingested something poisonous, do not hesitate to seek treatment. If you’re in the Wesley Chapel area, Pet Urgent Care is open evenings and weekends to help you care for your pet’s emergency. Just give us a call at 813-279-6500 to let us know you’re on the way, then come immediately to our location at 27027 SR 56 Wesley Chapel, FL 33544. We’re open Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.