Photo by Kirshelen.
Snail Bait: Metaldehyde Toxicity
Dogs are attracted to metaldehyde, often put out in springtime gardens to kill snails and slugs. This toxin takes effect within an hour or two and causes severe muscle tremors, which can lead to death if untreated. Affected dogs will tremble violently, and the body temperature can quickly shoot dangerously high. Wetting the dog with cool water and getting prompt medical attention is essential.
If the dog has licked up granules that have been scattered in a garden, the signs may be moderate and manageable through IV fluids, muscle relaxants and decontamination, but if he or she has gotten into a whole bag of snail bait, the effects can quickly become life-threatening and require intensive care and general anesthesia. Any snail or slug bait used in a dog’s environment should be the “pet-friendly” non-toxic type.
Gopher Bait: Strychnine Toxicity
Like most baits, strychnine is made to taste good and attract its intended targets, and dogs will readily eat any of these kinds of rodent baits. Dogs who ingest strychnine go into severe, life-threatening seizures and need immediate medical attention. The prognosis is very guarded with these situations, and affected dogs usually require intensive treatment and round-the-clock care.
Rat Bait: Anticoagulant and Neurotoxic Poisons
Dogs also love rat baits of all kinds. They’re often laced with molasses and other sweeteners to attract rats and mice. Get your dog immediate medical attention if there’s been any risk of exposure. The good news is that with prompt treatment—usually decontamination, inducing vomiting, and treatment with Vitamin K (the antidote), the prognosis for recovery is good. If several days have passed after ingestion and the dog is showing signs of illness (lethargy, pale gums, rapid breathing, poor appetite) the prognosis is much more guarded, but with plasma transfusions and hospitalization, your pet may still recover. But this prognosis refers only to anticoagulant rodenticides—those designed to induce internal bleeding, such as warfarin, brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and diphacinone.
The bad news is that there’s another deadlier type of rat bait: the neurotoxic bromethalin, for which there is no antidote. Signs develop within a few days of ingestion and are a result of damage to the central nervous system—usually irreversible—so prompt treatment and decontamination are essential. Affected pets may develop seizures, severe tremors or paralysis and coma. If you suspect your pet has ingested rat bait, it’s very important for your veterinarian to know what kind it is, so make sure you either bring in the container or photograph the ingredients.
THC Intoxication
The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, tends to cause more of an intoxication than serious toxicity, but higher doses can be dangerous. Dogs love eating marijuana and will readily snap up any they find in their environment, so special care should be taken when walking dogs in public places like parks and fields and in households where medical marijuana is in use. Intoxicated dogs may show signs of sedation, stumbling, dribbling urine, and facial hyperesthesia (jerking and blinking when the head is approached), although some dogs (especially terrier breeds) tend to become hyperactive and agitated. As with any suspected toxin exposure, these dogs need prompt medical assessment, and may need hospitalization.
The Call of Nature
Besides the risk of exposure to toxins in the spring, the desire to mate causes a lot of problems in dogs and cats who are not spayed and neutered. Roaming, fighting, spraying, disease transmission, accidents and getting hit by cars are seen in much higher incidence in so-called intact animals who may become agitated and aggressive as reproductive hormones bloom with the spring.
Many dogs slip out of their collars, dig under fences, or climb over them in an attempt to get out there and find a mate. The potential for injury and tragedy is increased tenfold, and unless your pet is a pedigreed, prime-breeding specimen (health checked, OFA certified, and tested for the appropriate genetic diseases prior to breeding), he or she should be spayed or neutered. When this is done at a young age (prior to sexual maturity), this not only reduces the tendency for aggressive behavior with other animals and the desire to roam but it can also reduce or even eliminate certain health risks such as pyometra (uterine infection), mammary neoplasia (breast cancer), and testicular cancer.
Your veterinarian can help guide you on the best health choices for your pet, and having them spayed and neutered and keeping them safe from the special risks of springtime helps avoid trouble and tragedy.
Long Beach Animal Hospital has more information about toxins and spay/neuter on its website.