How To Help A Dog Or Cat At The First Sign Of Poisoning

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Immediately the pre-thunderstorm light began to fade in the eyes of the master, his breath caught, he felt that the end was coming. He also saw how the deathly pale Margarita, helplessly stretching out her hands to him, dropped her head on the table, and then slid to the floor.

“Poisoner,” the master still managed to shout.

M. A. Bulgakov. Master and Margarita

Summer has come, it's hot, everyone is trying to get away from the dusty, melting city: to the dacha, to the camp site, just to live on the shore of the lake in a tent. We take our pets with us. This is where surprises await us in the form of poisoning … Let's talk about it.

What is the reason for poisoning in the summer?

Often in the dachas (not to mention the tourist centers) there are no refrigerators (or they are small - those that it was a pity to throw away when new, large and beautiful ones were bought). Canned dog and cat food or homemade porridge simply spoil in the heat … In this regard, it is much better to feed the animals with dry food (as has been said more than once, this should be premium food, suitable for the animal in terms of age and physiological state, it is necessary to accustom to dry food in advance). It is not always possible to buy animal food easily, so it is better to take the required amount of food with you from the city (in this respect, dry food is more convenient than canned food or stocks of cereals and meat).

Another danger to life in the country or in the village is more free access to garbage than in the city, the confidence of villagers that any leftover from the table will suit a cat or dog, like a pig (in general, even a pig is not suitable any!). Train your pet not to take anything without permission, especially from strangers, and make sure that there is no waste disposal area.

In addition (in fact, this cannot be called poisoning, but one cannot but say about it), in the countryside there is an opportunity to drink real, fresh, delicious milk, but … Our stomachs, accustomed to the non-fat incomprehensible mixture from the stores, fail … If your cat or dog will start diarrhea after real milk, it's okay, but still milk is an unusual food for an adult animal (note - food, not drink!), so either don't give it at all, or a little and with caution.

At the dacha there are more chances to get poisoned with household chemicals: these are fertilizers, and building materials, and gasoline, and other "antifreezes", and gas from cylinders. Hide it all so that neither animals nor children can get to the chemicals !!!

What should be done if poisoning is suspected?

First of all, if not an hour has passed after eating something suspicious, you need to induce vomiting to clear the stomach. The easiest way is to forcefully pour a soap solution into the animal's mouth (wash ordinary laundry soap in warm water), a solution of soda or salt (a teaspoon for half a liter of water). For a large dog - up to one and a half liters, for a medium - up to a liter, for a cat, ferret or small dog - a glass.

Secondly, in order to cleanse the intestines, it is necessary to give a laxative or put an enema. The simplest and most effective laxative is bitter salt (magnesium sulfate), as well as Glauber's (sodium sulfate), Karlovy Vary (a mixture of salts, an analogue of the salt of the Karlovy Vary spa) or Morshynska salt (a mixture of salts from the water of the Morshin spa). Saline laxatives cause water to escape into the intestinal lumen, due to which the contents of the intestine are quickly "washed off" without being able to be absorbed. Prescribe salt on an empty stomach in a dose of 15-30 g for a large dog, 5-10 g for a medium dog, 1-3 g for a small dog, cat, ferret. Salt is given in a small amount of water, after which another 250-500 (100-200 / 50-75) ml of water is fed to the animal. To set an enema, mix a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of soda in a glass of water at room temperature,the animal is placed on its front paws and 1000-1500 (500-700 / 150-300) ml of the mixture is injected into the rectum. For setting an enema, you can also use the aforementioned bitter salt (make a 20-30% solution and inject 100 (50/30) ml).

In case of poisoning with acids and alkalis, antidotes are used. The animal will almost never eat something unpleasant to the taste, burning, but if suddenly this happened and you know that the poisonous substance was acid, then immediately rinse the animal's mouth and give it a weak alkali (one or two teaspoons of baking soda in a glass of water). If alkali gets into the mouth, use a weak acid (3% food vinegar, which can be diluted a little more with water).

The next step is to provide sorbents (substances capable of "attracting" gases, poisons, toxins, microbes and transporting them "to the exit"). The most famous and widespread is, of course, activated carbon. He has a veterinary analogue - lignin. Polyphepan has a stronger effect. All these drugs are given in a little water. Tablets - this is the difference between giving sorbents from other drugs, especially bitter ones - it is better to crush them: due to this, the surface area increases and the sorbent can remove more poison or microorganisms. Sorbent is part of such a wonderful veterinary product as biogel-5. In addition to it, the drug contains propolis extract, which allows not only to remove poisons and microbes, but also to relieve pain,heal damage to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. Sorbent is also included in the veterinary drug bifitrilak. In addition, bifitrilac contains natural intestinal microflora, which prevents the development of dysbiosis.

Nature conceived two filters: liver and kidney. Every second, all the blood passes through them and all the poisons that have entered the body are filtered out. Therefore, for any sign of intoxication, including infectious, it is recommended to drink and write (remember how during a cold as a child, your grandmother soldered you with cranberry juice). For any sign of poisoning, the animal must be watered abundantly (dilute 1 tsp of sugar and a little salt in a glass of water, or even better take ready-made rehydron powder), to enhance urination, you can give potassium preparations: asparkam or panangin. To maintain the liver, the animal is given hepatoprotectors for 2-4 weeks: Liv-52, Carsil, Essliver.

If you suspect that your pet has eaten rat poison or a poisoned rodent, then be sure to give him Vicasol - it is an antidote. The composition of rat poisons includes coumarin (or its analogues) - a substance that prevents blood clotting. In the first days after eating the poison, there may be no ominous signs, and then, after one or two weeks, bleeding will begin from anywhere: from the uterus in the giving birth cat, from the gums in the old dog with periodontal disease, from the puppy who cut his paw, - from the wound and so on, and so on. In this case, the blood coagulation system is already seriously disturbed, and it is very difficult to cure a sick animal … That is why, in a suspicious case, Vikasol should be given to the animal as a prophylaxis: large dogs 1-2, medium - 1, small dogs, cats and ferrets - 1 / 2 tablets every eight hours (3 times a day) for 4 consecutive days,as well as something from hepatoprotectors (see above). If the animal has convulsions (some rat poisons contain substances that cause convulsions), immediately inject a 25% solution of magnesium sulfate (10-20 / 3-5 / 0.5-1ml) into its thigh and give something from heart medications (injections: sulfocamphocaine, cordiamine, inside: valocordin, corvalol, validol). And - immediately to the doctor !!!

If the animal ate garbage, spoiled food, rotten stuff from the garbage, then he has every chance of getting an intestinal infection. First of all, this is manifested by indomitable diarrhea, and the owners, in fright, immediately grab onto antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents. Alas, in most cases, this is a one-time (well, maximum, a couple of days) giving the darling chloramphenicol or phthalazole, which seem to cause a visible improvement, but in fact the pathogenic microflora is not killed, but only "taught" to survive in "war conditions". If you have already started giving antimicrobial agents, then be sure to follow the course: the frequency (for each agent has its own - see the instructions, usually 2-3 times a day) and the duration - at least five days. In addition to the popularly beloved chloramphenicol and phthalazole, there is a veterinary drug diarcan,which I highly recommend taking with you to your dacha. These are "sugar cubes", which are given to large dogs 1.5-2 cubes, medium - 1 cubes, small dogs, cats and ferrets - half a cubic 2-3 times a day for 3-5 days. In general, before you start stuffing your pet with pills, try the old proven means: rice broth (and use the rice itself for cooking second courses), infusions of disinfecting herbs (first of all, galangal (erect cinquefoil), as well as chamomile, sage, St. John's wort and others), a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).try old proven means: rice broth (and use the rice itself for cooking second courses), infusions of disinfecting herbs (first of all, galangal (erect cinquefoil), as well as chamomile, sage, St. John's wort and others), a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).try old proven means: rice broth (and use the rice itself for cooking second courses), infusions of disinfecting herbs (first of all, galangal (erect cinquefoil), as well as chamomile, sage, St. John's wort and others), a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

It is better to keep the poisoned animals on a starvation diet for one or two days, and then feed them with dietary products (low-fat boiled beef, vegetable purees) or special medicinal feeds (since the "intestine" is Latin for "intestinum", then the feed has either the letter "i" or the word "intestinal".

To restore normal intestinal microflora after poisoning, animals are given probiotic preparations. Veterinary: lactobifid, bifitrilak, laminolact, medical: lactobacterin, bifidumbacterin and others. They should all be kept in the refrigerator !!!

Despite the fact that you can provide first aid to the pet yourself, show the animal to the veterinarian as soon as possible!

In addition to poisoning in the summer, summer cottage period, our pets are in for such surprises as insect bites (bees, wasps, mosquitoes, midges, flies), spiders and snakes. In our natural area, only one poisonous snake lives - the viper - and there is not a single poisonous insect, but, nevertheless, even a bee sting can cause serious problems for an allergic or heart-sensitive animal.

How can you prevent this from happening? Block access to apiaries for animals. If possible, destroy wasp nests in the area, and bypass known nests in places of your walks. Some flea drugs work against mosquitoes, flies and midges. Vipers are afraid of noise, therefore, walking through the forest, rustle with a stick in the nearby bushes and stomp loudly. If you are not hunting, then keep the dog on a leash or just next to you. Do not let your dog run up to a sunny clearing until you have examined it (especially if there is some kind of stone convenient for sunbathing - vipers love to sunbathe).

First of all, it is necessary to process the bite site. If it was a bee sting, then try to remove the sting (like a common splinter - treated with alcohol or a burnt needle). It is advisable to apply ice or something cold to the bitten area. Do not under any circumstances do any moxibustion, cuts, do not apply tourniquet !!! To reduce swelling and relieve itching, you can treat the site of the bite with a soda solution (a teaspoon in a glass of water), menovazinum, "Zvezdochka" balm.

Next, we must prevent the development of an allergic reaction. To do this, use the usual antiallergic drugs (tavegil, suprastin, claritin, kestin, etc.), and hormonal agents (prednisolone, cortisone). If the animal feels relatively normal, there are no severe swelling and itching, then it is quite possible to limit yourself to antiallergic drugs: 1 tablet for a large dog (1/2 - medium, 1/4 - small, cat or ferret) from 1 to 3 times a day (see the instructions for each specific drug). If the situation is more serious, then you can inject the same drugs: 1-1.5 ml for a large dog (0.7-0.5 - medium, 0.5-0.3 - small, cat or ferret). If serious edema begins with a threat to life (pulmonary or laryngeal edema is manifested by shortness of breath, choking, foam from the mouth or nose, blue mucous membranes),then heavy artillery, hormones should be sent into battle, and urgently go to the nearest clinic. Prednisolone or dexamethasone is given intramuscularly or (more effectively) intravenously, slowly at a dose of 1-1.5 ml to a large dog (0.7-0.5 - medium, 0.5-0.3 - small, cat or ferret), after which the course is continued for at least 5 days (with improvement, you can switch to pills), reducing the dose every day (in no case, do not suddenly quit!).

Good luck and health!