Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m not willing to risk anything and want to be ready for such situation.
Your furry friend might get poisoned in a minute, only a few seconds of carelessness or a slow reaction is enough, especially if your dog is similar to mine and “eats everything he finds on the way”. Fortunately, my dog hasn’t been poisoned yet but I’m not willing to risk anything and want to be ready for such situation.
There is quite a wide range of things your dog might be poisoned with. Plants, blue algae or pesticides are the most common ones. If you have a garden and particularly if your dog is there without a constant supervision, I recommend you to find out which plants are toxic for dogs and not to grow them in your garden. The same applies to indoor plants. And it is not definitely a bad idea to go through wild plants to know which of them you should avoid when walking in the woods or in the meadows. You can find lists with them easily on the Internet. Also, be careful with mushrooms. They are not all toxic for dogs but it is better not to get into contact with them at all.
Your dog can also get slightly poisoned by the pesticides I have already mentioned and you might not even know about it. It’s enough to go for a walk to the field which was treated with pesticides a while ago or your dog strayed to your neighbour's treated grass. For some pesticides, a dog doesn’t have to swallow them, it is enough to breath them or to get into contact with them on skin to get poisoned. I probably do not have to add that you should pick preparations that are safe for your pets to treat your garden. You should find this information on the packaging.
Dogs are also often poisoned by blue algae. It can happen during enjoying water in natural swimming ponds or by drinking water from a puddle. Do not let your companions drink from green puddles and always take your own water in a travel bottle when you go for a walk. Besides blue algae from natural water resources, your dog can also get poisoned from the already mentioned pesticides if it is close to a treated field. Also watch out for toads when you are close to water.
One of other common causes of poisoning is poisoning from food. I already wrote articles Which food and plants are harmful for cats and Which food is dangerous for dogs on food dangerous for your pets. Not mentioning the recent problem of spreading poisoned baits, for example sausages, in parks.
Fast reaction is a must
Each poisoning might show off different symptoms. Some poisons have effects on the nervous system, others harm kidneys or liver. The most common first symptoms of poisoning can be summarized as following: discomfort, increased salivation, vomiting, impaired motor skills, apathy, loss of appetite, more frequent urinating, rapid heartbeat and muscle cramps. Depending on the type of toxin and its amount, the reaction might occur in the range from several minutes up to several hours.
Now, when we know how our companion might get poisoned and how to recognize it, it is time to tell how to best provide first aid. If the contact was made through skin, wash your dog several times and use shampoo. For any other type of poisoning, it is desirable to induce vomiting. You can achieve that best using a 3% hydrogen peroxide. Some recommend using it undiluted, some recommend diluting for 50% concentrate. To administer it easier, you can inject it into a mouth using an injection without a needle at its end.
Peroxide foams inside the stomach which induces vomiting. But it has to be administered within 4 hours from poisoning. Then, it is good to give your dog activated carbon for several days as it binds toxins and helps your dog excrete the remains of the poison and purify the organism. And of course, contact your vet as soon as possible and consult the subsequent procedure with him/her and if administering infusion is necessary as it helps to excrete toxins from the body, administer substances to suppress spasms, etc.
Have you already been unlucky and have to handle a situation with poisoning? I hope that if you have, it ended up well and the animal made it and is well now.
If you have decided to buy a purebred cat, you still have a lot of questions ahead of you. Which breed should you choose? A female cat or a tomcat? A kitten or an adult? Only if you consider everything carefully, you'll get the right companion for...
Lots of rabbit lovers choose this breed mainly by its appearance. The cuter, the better. But maybe they don’t know that a certain kind from the order of lagomorphs lives in nature, and hardly any domestic rabbit can match it in its cuteness. The same...
If you've noticed that your fluffy friend excessively licks and nibbles at his paws, you should not leave it like that. It might have several causes. Whether it's a psychological problem, allergy, yeast or other problem, the situation must be...
Did you know that our senses include the perception of the magnetic field? While we have almost lost this ability already, dogs still have it and use it every day. Do you know for what?
The British Shorthair cat is without a doubt the most popular cat breed not only in the Czech Republic, but also in the rest of Europe. This is caused not only by its appearance of a small Teddy bear, but also a mild, trouble-free nature.
In individual rodents, we’ll find breeds that are more popular with breeders than others. One of those is the American Teddy, typical with its peculiar hair structure that gives it the appearance of a teddy bear.
There is certainly no doubt that the Labrador belongs among the best known and most popular dog breeds. The reason is his extraordinary versatility, adaptability, intelligence and loyalty. Like the British Shorthair cat, the Labrador Retriever can be...
To spend a few days outside of civilisation - in the forest, on the ridges of the mountains - away from the hustle of the cities, in the wilderness and ideally with your dog. An imaginary return back to nature is the trend that did not avoid even the...
Hunting and exercise. If the dog loves both these activities, then coursing is the perfect activity for it. This cross-country race is based exactly on the desire of the dog to catch its prey.
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
Under the name of dogtrekking, imagine an orientation walk with the dog. Official rules rank it among extreme dog endurance sports.
There may be more causes of dog fear. And the first step to eliminate it is to find out its origin and cause.
