Signs of poisoning in canines

Canines suffer from various kinds of poisoning. Based on what kind of toxic they are exposed to, the general signs of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, blood in stool, lethargy, loss of appetite, bruising, nosebleeds, inability to urinate, irregular heartbeat.

Following are the signs of poisoning in canines that you need to look out for:

  • Drooling
    It is a typical sign of nausea in canines. If the dog is drooling excessively, then it might be experiencing poisoning. Excessive foaming may lead to foaming in the mouth.
  • Loss of appetite
    The first sign of illness in any canine is change in eating habits. If the dogs skips meals frequently and shows other symptoms of poisoning, then it is needs to be taken to a vet immediately.
  • Loss of coordination
    This is an indication that the brain is affected by an ingested toxin. The dog might have trouble walking, and might appear dizzy. Xylitol which is found in peanut butter leads to lack of coordination in some canines.

Here are signs of poisoning based on various types of factors:

  • Neurological poisoning symptoms
    Neurological and seizure poisoning is caused due to several kinds of factor strychnine, tobacco, asprin, antidepressants , alcohol, marijuana, flea repellents, drain cleaners, dishwasher detergent. There are some plants that cause neurological symptoms such as horse chestnuts and buckeyes.
  • Heart poisoning symptoms
    These signs of poisoning include irregular heartbeat rhythm, which can be caused due to oleander, milkweed, jimson weed, mountain laurel.
  • Poisoning due to anemia

Signs of poisoning due to anemia include bruising, nosebleeds, blood in stool. Anemia in canines is caused due to rat and mouse poisons, excessive amount of garlic, onions, sweet clover, and bracken fern.

  • Gastrointestinal poisoning
    Gastrointestinal poisoning in canines may result from consuming garbage, lead paint, or toxic plants such as English ivy or holly. The symptoms of gastrointestinal poisoning include loss of appetite, vomiting. Diarrhea can be caused due to eating toxic garbage, snake bites, chocolates, and other toxic plants such as chinaberry, iris, poinsettia and Daphne.
  • Kidney poisoning symptoms
    The major symptoms of kidney poisoning include inability to urinate. Plants that cause kidney damage include caladium, pigweed, Easter lily, and philodendron.
  • Liver poisoning symptoms
    Liver damage can occur due to administering medications such as acetaminophen. Plants such as tansy rogwort and rattle box also cause liver poisoning.

To check the signs of poisoning in canines, the veterinarians will feed the canines with a dying agent and induce vomiting which will help identifying the type of poisoning almost easily. For instance, if the induced vomit is blue, then it is a sign of poisoning. It is also possible of identify immediately (through fresh vomit) some plants toxins consumed by canines.To diagnose it further, the contents of poisoning are sent to pathology lab