6 minute read
Pets
Harms outside and inside the home
by Lynn Broom Longmead Veterinary Practice
We are often very aware what we should not feed our dogs to avoid accidental toxicity such as chocolate and raisins but we must also be aware of risks they may access outside.
Mouldy bread is a source of mycotoxins which, when eaten, can cause muscle tremors, seizures, coma and death. Ingestion often occurs after a bin has been raided or where garden birds are fed stale bread. There is no antidote or treatment other than managing symptoms.
Severely affected dogs may need anaesthetising to control the seizures until the effects of the toxin wear off. Compost and out of date dairy products can grow the same toxins.
Commercial bird food, when mouldy, can also grow toxins which have the same effects as mouldy bread. Peanuts and maize can grow the mould Aspergillus which produce aflatoxins. Aflatoxins can cause liver damage and clotting disorders.
Slug pellets containing metaldehyde can be extremely toxic. Symptoms are similar to mycotoxins and confirmation of ingestion is often seen if blue pellets are vomited up or passed in faeces. Copper-based slug pellets are much less toxic and only likely to cause digestive upsets if eaten.
Rat bait is also typically coloured blue but most rat baits used in the UK cause clotting disorders. Signs are typically seen three days after ingestion with spontaneous bleeding developing internally or externally. Affected animals may cough up or vomit blood or have blood in their urine or may collapse due to internal bleeding. It is rare for poisoning to occur from eating poisoned rats unless a lot of have been eaten by, for instance, an active hunting cat.
Cannabis
Cannabis can be highly toxic to pets due to their small size. In low doses dogs can appear sleepy and wobbly. Larger volumes can cause affected animals to be hyperactive, disorientated and very vocal. In severe cases tremors, seizures and coma may result.
Nicotine is also poisonous to our pets. In small amounts it can causes a rapid heart rate and digestive upset but, following ingestion of large amounts such as may occur from chewing a vape cannister, symptoms can rapidly develop to seizures and cardiac arrest.
Alcohol is also potentially life-threatening to pets. Due to the combination of small body size and their inability to process it they are prone to serious symptoms such as vomiting and disorientation leading on to loss of consciousness and heart rhythm problems. Sources of alcohol can include uncooked bread dough and alcohol-based hand cleaner as well as alcoholic drinks.
Toads are a surprising cause of unusual symptoms. Animals which have licked or mouthed a toad may salivate profusely, show oral pain and develop tremors and dilated pupils. These symptoms are usually temporary and resolve without treatment but can appear alarming initially.
It can be difficult to know the cause of toxicity when an animal develops these symptoms unless a known ingestion of a particular item has been seen and treatment is often symptomatic and supportive. The quicker treatment is sought after the onset of symptoms the more likely life-threatening symptoms may be controlled.
Animals which have licked or mouthed a toad (above) may salivate profusely, show oral pain and develop tremors and dilated pupils. PHOTO: Kathy Büscher/Pixabay
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CAN YOU BE A FOREVER HOME?
These are just some of the cats the Blandford & Sturminster Newton branch of Cats Protection has looking for new homes.
Hattie, Simba and Nero (eight months). Trio looking for an understanding home together. Do you have the space, time and patience for these three?
Felix (13) and Patch (ten). Timid pair who need a home together. Pebbles (eight months). An in-your-face very loving girl, still learning boundaries. Stanley (one). Lovely boy looking for a home to call his own.
For details, please call our helpline on 01258 858644 or visit our website www. cats.org.uk/blandford Lost cats If you have lost a cat, please contact us via our website, phone or Facebook. Please make sure we have a contact phone number so we can get in touch with you quickly if needed.
n Tabby male, missing from West
Moors since 17 June.
n Black and white female, missing
from Bryanston since 13 June.
n Distinctive Birman/Siamese cross
missing from Ringwood since 17 June.
Found cats If you are regularly seeing a cat in your garden or down your street that you don’t think has an owner, please give us a call – it might be a lost cat that could be reunited with its owner.
n Tortie and white, Guys Marsh,
seen repeatedly in the area.
We are still offering neutering and micro-chipping for £5 in postcode areas DT10 and DT11 SP7, SP8 and BH21. Phone 01258 268695. BEHAVIOUR TIPS
Tip #19: Fussy eaters
(Part 2 – theory into practice)
If your dog is not a good eater, first check with your vet that there is no medical reason. Then, change your dog’s mindset and attitude to food. 1 – Based on your budget, research and choose the food you want to feed your dog. This needs to be all dry food or at least a mixture of dry and wet. 2 – Stop giving him food for nothing! Measure his daily allowance of food into a jar instead of into bowls, and use ALL of this for training rewards and compliance – both at home and on walks – fed in activity toys and for ‘scatter feeding’. 3 – Diet your dog! Being even slightly overweight – which most dogs now are – will reduce your dog’s drive for food. Unless you ask them to be totally honest, many vets may not tell you for fear of offending you – unless the problem is quite marked. 4 – Do not offer alternatives when your dog does not immediately start eating the food you offer when you offer it. It can take a few days to a few weeks for this to become his new way of eating. Helen Taylor is a qualified, accredited behaviourist, a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist, a Registered Practitioner with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council and is a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (no 881). help@helentaylordorset.co. uk; www.helentaylordorset.co.uk
MID DORSET CATS PROTECTION
Loving homes needed for cats and kittens in our care.
