This video by Dr. Justine Lee gives basic and important guidelines on when and how to induce vomiting in your pet if needed.
There are times when it is incorrect or dangerous to induce vomiting in your dog. When in doubt, contact your veterinarian, your emergency veterinarian, or the non-profit ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 for life-saving advice 24/7. If you do induce vomiting, make sure to do so correctly with the right amount of hydrogen peroxide (3%), with recent ingestion, and as long as your dog isn’t showing any symptoms of poisoning.
The important points are:
Best to call your veterinarian or Animal Poison Control first.
The hydrogen peroxide must be fresh and not outdated. Pour some down the sink and see if it bubbles.
Do not induce vomiting if your pet already has symptoms of poisoning or is too weak or comatose.
Do not induce vomiting if your pet ingested something caustic or corrosive ,such bleach.
Do not induce vomiting if your dog has a medical condition that could cause the vomitus to be aspirated into the lungs such as megaesophagus, laryngeal paralysis or in brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, etc) and it snores. Safer to have your veterinarian induce vomiting.
Dose is 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per 25 lbs. Never give more than 4-5 tablespoons (60 – 75 ml) total.
Another way to dose is give 1 milliliter (ml) per pound of body weight. One teaspoon is the same as 5 ml; therefore 1 tablespoon is 15 ml.
Can use a turkey baster or syringe to give. Squirt the hydrogen peroxide into the back of the dog’s mouth.
If vomiting has not occurred within 15 minutes or so, give one more dose of hydrogen peroxide measured out as described above. If vomiting still does not occur, call your veterinarian or the pet poison control center/hotline back for instructions.
This is the type of Hydrogen Peroxide you are looking for ( do not get 35% hydrogen peroxide):
Disclaimer: Please note that this content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not delay treatment based on this content, and when in doubt, seek veterinary professional advice!
If you suspect your pet has ingested a poison or something toxic, the first thing you need to do is call your veterinarian or veterinary emergency hospital.
This video shows one method of giving activated charcoal to a dog.
Activated charcoal adsorbs a chemical or toxicant and facilitates its excretion via the feces. It basically acts like a magnet, attracting and holding the toxicant to its surface so that it passes through the gastrointestinal tract without being absorbed by the body.
Usually after inducing vomiting, activated charcoal is given to help absorb some of the remaining poison or toxin in the gastrointestinal tract. Some products have Sorbitol added to act as a cathartic and move things more quickly through the intestinal tract, so less toxin is absorbed.
In order to give the activated charcoal the dog needs to be able to swallow. The activated charcoal can comes as a suspension, granules, in capsules, tablets and a gel as seen in the video. Giving a suspension, such as Toxiban, can be very messy and the charcoal will stain. Both a suspension and granules can be added to some food and some dogs will eat it, but many won’t or feel ill to eat. Within a veterinary hospital, commonly, a suspension is given orally, slowly via the side of the mouth or by a stomach tube. Using a stomach tube at home is not recommended and needs to be done at a veterinary facility. Using the gel, as shown in the video looks like a method that could be done in a home environment.
After administering activated charcoal your pet’s stool will be black, which is perfectly normal.
Dosage: 0.5 – 1.5 grams per pound of body weight (0.5 – 1.5 gm/lb); therefore a 5 lb dog would need 2.5 to 7.5 grams of activated charcoal. A 10 lb dog would need 5 – 15 grams. A 100 lb dog would need 50 to 150 grams. Based on these amounts you do not want to use products, such as tablets or capsules which are dosed in milligrams (mg).
Disclaimer: Please note that this content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not delay treatment based on this content, and when in doubt, seek veterinary professional advice!
Chocolate toxicity or poisoning is a fairly common occurrence, especially in dogs during the holidays. Cats can also suffer from chocolate poisoning but they are less likely to eat chocolate than a dog will.
The type of chocolate consumed is also important if a pet will suffer from an overdose of chocolate and become toxic or poisoned.
This video explains why dogs and cats are vulnerable to chocolate toxicity and gives some guidelines.
Disclaimer: Please note that this content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not delay treatment based on this content, and when in doubt, seek veterinary professional advice!
The holiday season is a time of year when people decorate their homes of Christmas trees and have busy holiday plans. It is a time for cooking and baking desserts many of which include chocolate.
Ingestion of seasonal plants
We know that there are a lot of concerns around the holidays, especially certain potential intoxications such as chocolate and the ingestion of those seasonal plants. The three common plants that one finds around the holidays are poinsettias, holly and mistletoe.
Fortunately, none of these plants are particularly dangerous except that they can cause significant gastro-intestinal upset which would include vomiting and diarrhea. If a pet consumes one of these plants you should call your veterinarian right away and talk to them about it.
Ingestion of chocolate
A lot of people know that chocolate is potentially toxic to dogs but what we need to recognize is that there are different kinds of chocolate. The two toxic components in chocolate are caffeine and theobromine. It is the theobromine in chocolate which causes most of the symptoms in a pet. Theobromine affects the pet’s intestinal system, nervous system (brain), cardiovascular system and the kidneys. The main one that could be lethal produces cardiac arrhythmias, which causes the heart not to beat the way that it normally should.
Milk chocolate is one that could potentially be toxic but is usually a threat to small dogs. However, baker’s chocolate actually has ten times the amount of the toxin, theobromine, than milk chocolate. The risk of a true toxicity is much higher with baker’s chocolate then with milk chocolate.
How much is this too much? Veterinarians get a lot of questions of people calling about a pet getting into a Hershey’s bar or kisses. Now, it really depends on two things. First, one must consider the size of the pet. For example, a big dog is going to be much less likely to be intoxicated than a very small dog.
The second factor is how much and what kind of chocolate was consumed. If your pet gets into chocolate products, it is really important to find out how much theobromine that product contains.
“Let’s look at how much theobromine is in certain types of chocolate, and then we can best know if you need to be concerned about chocolate poisoning in your pet. A 5oz milk chocolate bar contains 250mg of theobromine, a dark chocolate bar contains 600 mg. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains 400mg theobromine per square, Semisweet chocolate chips (30 chips), 250mg. Dry cocoa powder contains 700 mg of theobromine per ounce.
The toxic and potentially fatal dose of chocolate is 60mg/kg- so a 10lb dog only needs to consume 300mg of chocolate. Clinical Signs can be seen as low as 20mg/kg- meaning a small 10lb dog only needs to consume 100mg to have problems. Severe signs are seen at 40mg/kg- or consuming 200mg of chocolate.
A poodle weighing 10lbs can be fatally poisoned by as little as one milk chocolate bar containing 250mg of theobromine. A 75lb larger breed dog, such as a Golden Retriever, would need to eat to eat 8 milk chocolate bars to become seriously ill. On the other hand, the dark chocolate and baker’s chocolate are far more toxic; the 75lb Golden only needs to consume 3 of the dark chocolate bars to be fatally poisoned.”
One can either look on the of the label of the rapper of the product. Many companies, such as the Hershey’s company, have a website you can go to and provides useful information about how much of theobromine is in that particular product.
Also, another option would be calling the National Animal Poison Control Center. If you just go to their website there are some very useful articles on different types of products and potential hazards within the home that you might want to be aware of.
Got a Pet Poison Emergency? Call (888) 426-4435
One thing, you can always call your regular veterinarian and ask for his or her advice on what to do.
Ingestion of macadamia nuts
A lot of people aren’t aware of the fact that macadamia nuts are potentially toxic.
We don’t know what the poisonous agent is but animals consuming macadamia nuts can actually have depression, hallucinations and hind limb weakness.
Although macadamia nut toxicosis is unlikely to be fatal in dogs, it can cause very uncomfortable symptoms that may persist for up to 48 hours. Affected dogs develop weakness in their rear legs, appear to be in pain, may have tremors and may develop a low grade fever. Fortunately, these signs will gradually subside over 48 hours, but dogs experiencing more than mild symptoms can benefit from veterinary care, which may include intravenous fluid therapy and pain control.”
What to do if you think your pet ingested something poisonous
It’s really important, if you think your dog or your cat has gotten into something that’s potentially toxic, to call your vet and follow their directions. It is best to get your dog or cat to them, so they can evaluate your pet and start treatment, if necessary.
The first thing that your veterinary hospital is going to ask you is… what is the particular compound, product or food that your pet ingested? Next, they’re going to ask how much do you think your pet consumed and third, they’re going to ask, how long has it been since your pet consumed the particular product, substance or food.
What are some other potential recommendations that your veterinarian is likely to make, if your pet has gotten into omething that’s potentially poisonous?
One, they may recommend that you induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. Please never do this unless you’ve consulted with your veterinarian first.
Second, they may ask that you bring your pet immediately into the animal hospital for examination, possible laboratory tests and supportive care, such as fluids and administer products to help reduce the absorption of the toxin. Also, they may try to reduce the amount of the ingested substance by nducing vomiting, if that has not been done.
There are numerous potential toxic sources during this time of the year, but the ingestion of chocolate products is still the most common problem encountered by veterinarians during the holidays.
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