Grim Discovery -- Symptoms of Antifreeze Poisoning to Watch Out For in Your Pets
We have enjoyed the companionship of numerous and assorted kitty-friends over these past 10 years, but noticed that as the males, and some of the spayed females matured, they would take off on an adventure and rarely return home. We found this to be curious and wondered if perhaps they were starting their own kitty community out in the woods, or in an abandoned shed or barn somewhere. What a quizzical thought, eh? Kitties out living on their own, feral, as it were!
That thought didn't last long when we discovered an unhappy neighbor who did not share our love of felines was indeed shooting at our cats with buckshot and then hatefully bragging about it later. Of course, this was met with a police report, after which, our pet friends appeared safe and home bound. Until a few months ago.
Our beloved black kitty friend, Daisy dragged herself home after a jaunt, she was blinded in both eyes, unsteady on her feet, refused to eat or drink and had no control of herself. We did not find any buckshot wounds on her yet, she was gravely ill. She had been tested for Leukemia and Aids to no avail. Daisy did not make it, and we really had no idea why. Until today.
A couple of days ago, another of our kitties returned home after being away for about a week. He was bedraggled, skinny, blinded in both eyes (with 'blown' pupils), he was unsteady on his feet, would sniff out the food dishes and water bowls, but seemed to not remember how to eat. When we held him, he seemed very uncomfortable toward his hind end by his hips, but .. no gunshot wounds anywhere on him. We took him straight to the vet as soon as they opened. Negative test result for leukemia and aids, as with Daisy. But this time, the vet noticed that his kidneys were very swollen (reason why his hips were sore). The first thing the vet said .. .. .. " I suspect Antifreeze poisoning."
Antifreeze poses a horribly long and tortured death to small animals, and because it has a sickly sweet taste, kitties and dogs are attracted to it. It is not only the drinking of antifreeze that can harm them, it can be attractively mixed with meat or other substances. Here are the symptoms to look out for that will point at antifreeze poisoning:
1. 'Blown" or extremely dilated pupils, causing blindness.
2. Neurological signs, such as muscle weakness, disorientation, inability to swallow (even though they seem to want to eat, they do not seem to 'remember' how), unsteady gait, listlessness, fatigue, crying, no purring even while being petted.
3. Dark urine.
4. Small, hard stools.
5. Soreness forward of the hips on either side of the spine, a result of swollen kidneys.
Our vet advised that Antifreeze attaches itself to the kidneys quickly after ingestion. If you can get your pet to a veterinarian right away to have their system flushed with .. don't laugh .. alcohol such as Jack Daniels, the alcohol may adhere to the kidneys before the antifreeze does and the antifreeze will be eliminated through the urine, at least this procedure worked on a larger dog, we were told. We were also told that if our Deenie had any chance, she would give it to him by flushing out his system overnight. But after what happened with our Daisy, I don't know if we got to Deenie quickly enough.
Can't stress enough that quick action is most important. With a dog, it may be easier to treat than with kitties, since kitties like to roam more than dogs do; at least in our experience this is the case. Our vet, unfortunately, has seen an increase in antifreeze poisoning recently, so she knew exactly what to look for.
Not asking for anything dear ones, because our beautiful Deenie is in the best of hands right now; however, felt it important to share this with pet and animal lovers to know the signs and symptoms of antifreeze poisoning ~~ whether the act is intentional or by 'accident' ~~ the result, sadly, will be the same. Knowledge is power.
Many blessings ...
Bee
Dolphyn Wisdom of the Ancients