WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT
POISONING?
FIRST AID KIT
IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES:
UK NL DLD IT PT FR
SW GR RU JP TR ES
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT
POISONING?
Poisoning is one of the most barbaric and cowardly crimes
against animals, causing them extremely painful and
agonizing deaths. And it is a source of immense anguish and
grief to the people who love them.
Strangely enough hardly any complaints are filed to the
Police or the municipality, many people believing it is
useless to do so and they simply accept it as "a fact of
life". The victims might disagree... if they could have
their say in it!...
Your veterinarian will do all he can to rescue a poisoned
animal but often it is impossible to save the animal's
life. Therefore it is important to take further action!
The veterinarian can make an anonymous record of the
poisoning cases in his clinic to chart the poisoning
problem and bring it to the attention of relevant
authorities. These are needed as evidence and statistics,
so that authorities can no longer pretend the problem does
not exist - as they often claim - and to press them to take
further action to protect animals. We aim for stricter
laws, severe sentences and effective enforcement of the
laws.
PRECAUTIONS
Keep your animal away from "edible things" in places where
they don't belong. They can be packed in plastic bags,
bowls with food or liquids, remnants of food, meatballs
etc. Remove and discard such suspicious items when you
happen to see them. Poisoned baits are often put at places
where animal lovers leave food for the strays. Beware of
(colored) powdery substances! Keep an eye on the behavior
of any strangers around your property, especially when they
are annoyed with your barking dogs. Record the number
plates of suspicious cars and the date and place you saw
them. Have a camera at hand to collect evidence.
FIRST AID
PREPARATION
First of all discuss the content and use of a first aid kit
with your veterinarian as emetics and antidotes differ per
country. Ask your vet to tell you the symptoms of poisoning
by herbicides and pesticides like strychnine, arsenic,
paraquat etc. He knows which poisons are used locally, he
can explain the symptoms and he can advise on the
treatment. Knowing the symptoms is essential as antidotes
can be harmful if an animal is not poisoned! Most vets
appreciate the fact that first aid by the owner of a
poisoned animal is crucial for its survival. Ask your vet
to show you how to administer emetics or activated carbon
solutions orally and how to handle a syringe in such a case
of emergency. Preparation is the first step!
THE FIRST
AID KIT
Carry with you at all times a first aid kit containing
emetics (ampoules and/or solutions), activated carbon
(tablets or solution), a syringe and antidotes, together
with the dosage and administration instructions your vet
will recommend. Be aware that dogs and cats need different
treatment and that oral treatment of a poisoned animal
might be impossible when it has convulsions or is unable to
swallow.
FIRST
AID
Warn the veterinarian immediately! When you start first aid
let another person phone the veterinarian so he can prepare
for the emergency treatment while you are on your way to
him.
1. If possible, try to identify the substance ingested
before administering the emetics by:
*
carefully inspecting the surrounding area and
*
observing the symptoms of the animal.
WARNING: You should NOT cause an animal to vomit if it has
ingested caustic/acid substances or glass, as this would
cause further damage of the internal organs! In that case
try to administer activated carbon and leave for the vet
immediately.
WARNING: If the animal has convulsions do NOT administer
anything orally (through the mouth). With swallowing always
be very careful in order to avoid aspiration into the
lungs.
If it is likely that it has ingested another poison:
2. Make the animal throw up with:
*
orally: 30 - 60 cc of saturated salt water solution, or
*
orally: 30 - 60 cc of diluted hydrogen peroxide (1:10), or
*
orally: mustard seeds in lukewarm water, or
*
orally: 10% IPECAC SYRUP (10ml per 10kg body weight), or
injection:
*
APOMORPHINE (0,05mg per kg body weight), do not use on cats
as they get wild by it, or
*
injection: FILTALON under the skin (large dog 1cc and if it
has not vomited after 5 minutes another 1cc)(medium dog
1cc) (very small dog or a cat 0.5cc)
Subcutaneous
(make a tent of the skin at base of neck, just below the
'scruff
3. Only after it has thrown up:
*
Let it swallow active carbon.
*
Give it an intramuscular injection of:
- dogs/cats: ATROPINE (0.04mg per kg or 1ml per 10kg), or
- cats: XYLAZINE (0,5-1mg per kg)
4. When finished take the animal to your vet immediately!
N.B.: Beware of overdose!
intramuscular
(best place is the top of the leg/thigh) and subcutaneous
(make a tent of the skin at base of neck, just below the
'scruff
POISONING
SYMPTOMS
* insecticide (organo-phosphate) poisoning: salivation,
excessive tears, diarrhoea, severe vomiting, constriction
of the pupil, muscle twitching, asthmatic breathing,
convulsion and coma. Treatment: an injection of atropine
(one vial for a cat or small dog, two or three vials for
larger dogs depending on their weight). The injection can
be intravenous (into the vein - it is absorbed most quickly
this way), intramuscular (into the muscle), or subcutaneous
(under the skin).
* rat poison (warfarincan): result in vomiting and
diarrhoea, but sometimes the animal will display no
symptoms at all for two to three days. Patches of
red/purple/dark blue on the body or gums begin to develop
later. These are signs of internal bleeding. Treatment
involves an injection of vitamin K (Konakion) to help clot
the blood - between 5mg and 20mg depending on the size and
weight of the animal.
* strychnine poisoning: animals that have been poisoned
with strychnine go into spasm, their pupils expand and
muscles twitch. Treatment is an injection of diazepan
(Valium): cats 5-10mg, dogs 10-30mg depending on size and
weight.
Report cases of deliberate poisoning to the Police and the
municipality.
Teach children that poisoning is a terrible and horrible
crime.
® Action Against Poisoning
poison - poison -
poison
