|
Everyone, not just pet owners, should beware of leaving antifreeze where pets can get into it, as it is a common and deadly poison for cats and dogs. Incidents of antifreeze poisoning increase significantly with the onset of cold weather, as people drain their radiators and refill them with new antifreeze.
Cats and dogs will consume ethylene glycol, the major component of most antifreeze due to its sweet taste. Poisoning can occur from just the amount a cat can lick off its feet after walking though some spillage on someone’s driveway. If the animal is not presented to a veterinarian within just a few hours after ingestion of ethylene glycol, then treatment success is rare. Most often death is due to kidney failure since ethylene glycol causes rapid and irreversible kidney damage. By the time you see symptoms of the poisoning it may be too late. Signs vary with the amount of antifreeze consumed and include vomiting, depression, difficulty walking and sometimes seizure-like activity.
The problem is that these signs can show up 3-10 days after the poisoning. Coma and death may occur as soon as 6-12 hours after more than just minimal amounts have been consumed. There is a test available for ethylene glycol toxicity. Treatment can involve administering medication every 4-6 hours for up to 3-4 days or more with continuous, round the clock hospitalization for monitoring of intravenous fluids and laboratory testing of urine and blood. Due to the emergency nature of this problem it may be more advantageous for your pet to go directly to a specialty/emergency facility for the 24 hour/day care required.
It may be impossible to know exactly how much antifreeze has been consumed, but a prognosis for improvement can usually be made within 12-16 hours after treatment has been started. If your pet has ingested only very small amounts and is presented for the emergency treatment immediately and if the animal is beginning to respond after the fourth treatment, then the prognosis may be fair to good. Because of the expense of treatment and the frequency of deaths due to ethylene glycol poisoning the best advice is prevention. There is non-toxic, environmentally safer antifreeze available on the market, and its additional expense is well worth the prevention. When you drain your radiator please make sure no animals come in contact with any of it and use precautions to avoid spillage and dispose of used antifreeze appropriately.
|
