St George's Vets
Accident & Emergency
Common hazards to look out for
Lillies
How many of you realised that Lillies are extremely poisonous to dogs and cats.
Signs of poisoning include vomitting, paralysis, renal failure, coma and death. It is not just the injestion of the plant that can start the effects of poisoning but even brushing past the flowers can result in pollen landing in the fur which is then injested by the pet licking or grooming itself. The RSPCA are currently compaigning for clearer labelling on bouquets regards the dangers to pets.
Paper Shredders
If there are any dog owners out there that have a paper shredder with an 'auto off' feature on it, then please for pity's sake turn it off and unplug when not in use.
It may not have crossed your mind but it is frightening how common it is for dogs to get their tongues trapped in a shredder. The result is horrifying! In some cases, if able to stop the machine fairly quickly, they may get away with stitching the tongue back together but in a worse case senerio where more than half the tongue has been shredded, as an owner you would be faced with various difficult options. The quality of life would have to be considered as intensive care would be required in order to teach the dog to eat, swallow and drink again. Constant supervision is a must as the dog would find it virtually impossible to drink on its own.
Chocolate
Here at St George's we are seeing more and more dogs with chocolate poisoning. They are either accidently eating chocolate or the owner gives it them as a treat unaware that the result could mean death!
Some people say they feed their dog chocolate on a regular basis and they do not show any signs of poisoning, but although no poisoning signs are visable they may still be subject to LIVER, PANCREAS, KIDNEY FAILURE as well as NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS.
Chocolate contains a chemcal called THEOBROMINE which is poisonous to dog's. Different types of chocolate contain different levels of this chemical (dark chocolate being the worst of all). This said, the best assurance is never to allow your dog to eat chocolate at all. THEOBROMINE acts as a diuretic and heart stimulant which can cause the heart to increase and beat irregularly. Signs of chocolate poisoning include: vomitting, diarrhoea, urinary incontinence, hyperactivity, rapid breathing, rapid heart beat, muscle tremors, seizures, coma and death.
Please be extra careful when leaving chocolate lying around, always keep out of reach of sensitive noses. If you do find any chewed up chocolate wrappings or missing chocolate then contact the vet immediately.
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