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Happy New Year!
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This site is frequently updated. Check back often for new material.
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This site is frequently updated. Check back often for new material. |
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Surprising Household Poisons Most people know
that anything that is poisonous to us is also toxic to our
Chocolate Another article in our library discusses the problem with chocolate. Follow this link to read about it.
The ASPCA Poison Control Center tracks over 100 cases of raisin/grape toxicity per year, of which about 1/3 of the dogs become ill and about 10% die. Typically the dog will vomit within a few hours of eating the product. Within 24 hours to several days, blood chemistries will indicate damage to the kidneys. Some dogs can be saved by immediate intensive veterinary care, but some will die regardless. As little as 1 ounce of raisins or 3 ounces of grapes can poison a 22 lb. dog. The toxic principal has not yet been identified. So far, many fertilizers, pesticides, heavy metals and fungal organisms have been ruled out as the cause of the toxicity. Another toxin
you may not know about is xylitol, a commonly used sugar
substitute. Xylitol occurs
naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is even produced by the human body
during normal metabolism. It is produced commercially from plants such as birch
and other hard Xylitol is recommended instead of sugar for some diabetic people because it is thought not to require insulin to be used by the human body. Strangely, this is not the case in dogs. Shortly after ingestion of a xylitol-containing product, there is a spike of insulin release from the dog's pancreas, causing a sharp drop in the dog's blood sugar level. This results in signs such as depression, incoordination, seizures and loss of consciousness. If not treated immediately, death will occur. There is also an unproven link between xylitol and liver failure in dogs. We have seen extremely elevated liver enzymes after xylitol poisoning. It is not known how much xylitol a dog must eat to become ill, but the amount is not large. Even products that have xylitol as a minor ingredient have been involved in some of the cases seen by the ASPCA Poison Control Center. With smaller concentrations of xylitol, the onset of clinical signs could be delayed as much as 12 hours after ingestion. If you find that your dog has eaten a product containing xylitol, call your vet immediately! Your safest course is to prevent your dog from any access to these products. |
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Copyright Indian Walk Veterinary Center 2002-08 |
pets. However, there
is an increasing number of products that are perfectly safe for humans but are
known to cause illness or death in some pets. These are the most hazardous,
because even the most careful people may not be aware of the danger.
wood trees and fibrous vegetation.