Historical March 1994 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Although everyone strives to provide a safe and secure living environment for their pets, occasionally, pets are injured by conditions or situations owners do not consider a hazard.
Some of these potential problems may seem obvious: rodent poisons, lead paint, and antifreeze; others may not seem a danger: choke chain collars, garbage toxicity, fly strike, and over-the-counter human medications. Rodent control has been a problem for metropolitan areas for hundreds of years. Remember the Pied Piper? Warfarin, a dicoumarin based compound, has long been the chemical used to control rodents. Rodents are very sensitive to the anticoagulant properties of warfarin; soon after ingestion of the poison, they expire from massive bleeding. Dogs, and sometimes cats, will readily eat the pellets of rodent poison. Being more resistant to the anticoagulant, dogs and cats must ingest a larger portion of the poison to suffer ill affects. Because the symptoms of poisoning with warfarin are not always obvious, owners are often unaware their pet has a problem until presented to the veterinarian, in critical condition, due to massive internal bleeding.
If the hemorrhaging is caught early, treatment is usually curative, requiring 1 to 3 weeks of a Vitamin K supplement.
I have diagnosed several cases of lead poisoning during the sixteen years of practice in this area. Lead is found in plaster as well as paints.
Most commonly, lead poisoning occurs when exterior paint removal leaves paint scrapings scattered in the yard. Dogs will readily eat the scrapings, and develop lead poisoning. Digestive upset–vomiting and diarrhea—are the early symptoms of lead toxicity; dementia follows if the toxicity continues. Current treatment involves several days of injections to remove the lead from the body.
The medication is costly.
The University of Missouri at Columbia is researching a new treatment with an oral drug currently used to treat lead toxicity in people. Early results are promising; the most recent case treated at my practice participated in the program and responded well to the new treatment.
It is essential to eliminate the source of lead in the environment to prevent continued exposure. Ethylene glycol, the main ingredient of current engine coolants, is highly toxic to pets.
The liquid is sweet and pets willingly drink it. Just a few teaspoons is enough to cause irreversible kidney damage. Initially the pet will be literally drunk from the ethylene glycol, within a few hours the kidneys are damaged; death results from kidney’ failure. Treated intensively within a few hours after ingestion, the kidney damage can be avoided. Anytime coolant leaks, or is changed in a home garage, one needs to exercise caution and be sure none–absolutely none—is accessible to your pets. Next month, I will discuss some of the less obvious dangers to pets.
If readers have questions or topics they would like discussed in the article, please send them to me at Kingsbury Animal Hospital, 420 N. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63130.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, March 1994.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1994_03.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
