【This is what you do if your dog shows signs of poisoning

What Is everything poisonous to dogs?

Unfortunately there are quite a few “poison traps”, the dogs threaten every day. Some toxic dangers are very treacherous and mainly lie outside your own four walls. Other risks are particularly present in your own home and garden.

The following List of the most common toxins, that threaten dogs is by no means complete, but it should give a good overview of what you need to pay particular attention to.

Groomed Poison bait

Many dog ​​owners' biggest nightmare is when their four-legged friend has one prepared poison bait eats. These treacherous traps are particularly tempting and unfortunately have a rather tasty taste, but at the same time they are designed to kill living beings.

You can differentiate between two different types:

• Professional poison bait, which are intended to combat pests such as rodents, including rat poison or slug pellets and
• Illegal toxic substances produced by criminal animal haters be consciously placed.

The latter type also includes treats that have been deliberately decorated with shards of glass or other sharp material. Prepared poison baits are often designed to kill vertebrates, Dogs are always in mortal danger, when they eat you.

Rat poison and related baits mostly contain coumarin derivatives, which disrupt blood clotting and cause severe, usually fatal internal bleeding. However, it contains slug pellets metaldehyde, which paralyzes the dog's central nervous system.

Poisonous ones Plant

But even without intention, dogs are often in danger: there are a lot of them Plant, which are poisonous to animals and can be fatal if consumed in large quantities.

This also applies to species that we like to think of as ornamental plants can be used in the home and garden. There is always a latent risk of poisoning, even in green spaces and on the streets.

Unfortunately there are none of them Puppies are particularly affected: On the one hand, they are very curious and eat things that adult animals would never touch, but on the other hand, because their bodies are still very small, they have little tolerance for toxic substances.

fertilizer & Insecticides

Unfortunately, dogs are not 100% safe from green areas without such plants. Because there are also invisible but still poisonous dangers here.

So there are some popular ones fertilizers, especially blue grain, which is toxic to dogs. Also insecticides, that are sprayed in some gardens can poison four-legged friends.

The risk is particularly high immediately after the green area has been treated. I would definitely avoid using artificial fertilizers and insecticide in my own garden to make it pet-friendly. However, I would be very careful with other people's green spaces; when it comes to public facilities, a conversation with the city administration often provides clarification.

Fruit & Vegetables

fruit and vegetables can be tasty and helpful for four-legged friends – they often represent a good dietary supplement. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as some varieties have their pitfalls:

• Drupes such as apricots, plums, cherries or peaches must be pitted before eating, otherwise there is a risk of prussic acid poisoning.
• Avocados contain the natural insecticide persin, which can cause shortness of breath and heart failure.
• Elderberryn are naturally contaminated with the glycoside sambunigrin, which causes toxic hydrogen cyanide to form in the dog's body.
• Grapes and raisins For reasons that are not yet fully understood, they are highly toxic to four-legged friends and must not be eaten under any circumstances.
• Cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchini have a natural cucurbitacin content; the body reacts to these bitter substances, which are toxic to dogs, with nausea and vomiting, among other things. Cucurbitacin is eliminated by prior heating.
• Many vegetables also contain solanine, which can hardly be processed by dogs and is highly toxic. It damages red blood cells and acts like a neurotoxin. These include, above all, nightshade family such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers – they definitely need to be heated before your four-legged friend eats them.
• Onions, leeks and garlic contain many sulfur compounds that are highly toxic to dogs. They should therefore under no circumstances be administered – even small amounts can be fatal!

You can read more about “dogs and fruit” here. You can find an overview of suitable and unsuitable vegetables here.

Chocolate poisoning & dangerous sweeteners

Chocolate is also highly toxic for dogs: It contains the substance similar to caffeine theobromine, which can hardly or not at all be broken down by four-legged friends – the animals lack an enzyme for this.

Depending on the dose consumed – varieties with a high cocoa content are significantly more dangerous – mild symptoms such as digestive problems and serious signs such as a racing heart, internal bleeding, respiratory arrest and blindness can occur. Chocolate should therefore never be left lying around in households with dogs.

There are also some sweeteners, which are life-threatening for the animals. It is particularly feared xylitol, which even small amounts trigger hypoglycemia and can lead to liver failure.

Toxic to dogs Medication

Many Medication are highly toxic to dogs even in small quantities and cause, among other things, internal bleeding, organ failure and seizures. The medicine cabinet must therefore always be closed and open tablet packs should never be left on the table, even for short periods of time.

These means include in particular:

• Contraceptives
• Aspirin or generics with acetylsalicylic acid
• Paracetamol
• Diclofenac
• Ibuprofen
• Sleep aids and antidepressants as well
• Narcotics and/or illegal drugs.

Since dogs break down medicines differently and often react very sensitively to even small doses, you should definitely refrain from providing your four-legged friend with medication on your own if they have symptoms.

alcohol & Fuels

It is poisonous even in small quantities Alcohol: Dogs are neither used to it nor can they break down the substance in sufficient time. Accidental sipping of a beer or cocktail can quickly become fatal.

The same applies to fuels, which include, for example, spirit or solid and liquid grill lighters. You should therefore exercise particular caution in the garden or when camping.

caffeine & nicotine

Four-legged friends can also break down inadequately Caffeine and nicotine. These stimulants are extremely toxic to dogs and even small amounts cause severe symptoms that are often fatal.

Coffee and soft drinks such as cola are therefore taboo. Under no circumstances should cigarette butts be left lying around – this is especially true if you have a curious puppy who puts almost everything in his mouth.

cleaning & detergent

Also Cleaning and laundry detergents are taboo for dogs: the chemical compounds used are almost always toxic. The bottles should therefore always be kept tightly closed and cleaning tablets should be kept out of the reach of your four-legged friends.

This also applies to cleaned toilets: To prevent your dog from poisoning himself by drinking toilet water, it is advisable to keep the lid closed.

poisonings Stitches & Bites

A very treacherous form of poisoning Stings and bites by insects or other animals such as snakes. This Neurotoxins go directly into the blood and often cause symptoms of paralysis and even respiratory and circulatory arrest.

Fortunately, such accidents are very rare in our latitudes. However, the risk increases significantly in some areas; there are some sources of danger, particularly in warmer regions. If you take your four-legged friend with you on vacation, you should therefore exercise particular caution.

How long does it take until symptoms of poisoning appear?

There are basically only two helpful strategies to combat the ingestion of toxic substances:

• The dog should know its limits early on and know which things are meant to be eaten and which taboos exist.
• At the same time, you should do everything you can to ensure that your four-legged friend does not come into contact with toxins in the first place. This requires a lot of attention and tidying up the house and garden in a dog-friendly manner.

However, there is no such thing as 100% security: It can always happen that the dog has eaten something that is potentially poisonous. The fear is of course very great and often lasts for a long time. Because a lot of time can pass before the danger is over.

Depending on Toxins

How long your four-legged friend suffers depends on various factors. These include in particular:

• the toxins absorbed, unfortunately these are often combinations
• the dose eaten as well
• Size and physical condition of the four-legged friend.

Usually within a few hours

With most poisons, the first symptoms appear within a few hours. Depending on the toxins absorbed, they can last for different lengths of time.

Some substances are excreted quickly, so that the dog is out of the “danger zone” after a short time. Other poisons, on the other hand, settle in the body over several days and then cause organ failure, among other things.

Treacherous individual cases with clear delayed effect

They are very treacherous pest control, that were eaten by the dog. These are often designed to… with a delay of several days to work.

The idea behind this is that intelligent pests such as rodents should not make a direct connection between poisoned bait and its effect. Otherwise, they would quickly avoid him as soon as they see that a fellow animal dies immediately.

In dogs this means that symptoms of poisoning often occur very sudden and unexpected appear. If this is the case, it is very possible that rat poison, for example, is involved.