Poisoning, which is mainly caused by man, intentionally and rarely due to chance, may be caused either by recruitment of poisonous substance orally or after absorption from the skin.
The poisonous substance can be placed mainly on baits like a piece of meat or fat, in animal fodder, in streams and in glue trap for mice in order to stick to the dog's leg and swallow it while trying to clean it.
Symptoms
They begin to occur immediately after ingestion of poisonous substance. One or a combination of the following symptoms can be observed:
- Hyperstimulation
- Loss of balance
- Salivation (saliva production)
- Muscular trembling
- SpasmsPupils’ contraction
- Forfeiture / lying on the ground
- Slow heart rate
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Shortness of breath
- Cyanosis mucous membranes (gums and tongue are blue)
Confrontation
- If intake of venom was orally, vomiting must be induced and when the animal is still conscious.
Medications that induce vomiting, which can be obtained from our veterinarian who will give us instructions for their use, are:
- injection of apomorphine that can be subcutaneous (under the skin) or intramuscular, or
- emetic pill, or
- ipecacuanha syrup
If we have nothing of the above, then the only way is to give the animal saltwater in a ratio of one tablespoon of salt dissolved in a glass of water. Never olive oil!
Caution: If the animal is already unconscious, inducing vomiting must be avoided because it can lead to aspiration into the lungs, resulting in death due to drowning. Also, we should avoid inducing vomiting when more than three hours past after intake of the poison.
- If intake of poison was absorbed by the skin, we immediately wash the animal with hot water and soap.
In both cases if we have the antidote, i.e. injectable atropine, we use it after the veterinarian's instructions about dosage and without wasting time waiting for the animal to vomit.
Immediate transfer to the vet for further treatment!
Tip
- We never let our dog eat food or anything else from the streets, fields, parks and public places, as they might be poisonous. Especially hunters must be careful on the mountains.
