ls about animals eating potentially toxic plants. Cats lead dogs in this category. You can refer to this excellent ASPCA resource for more information.
- Rodenticides. About four percent of calls to the APCC last year were related to rodent bait poisoning. You can learn more about the dangers of rodent bait here, here and here.
- Lawn and garden products. Fertilizers and other lawn and garden products accounted for about 3,600 calls to the APCC in 2012.
Dog Dies After Ingesting a Penny
In a very sad story out of Colorado, a little dog lost her life after eating a very common household item – a penny. Pennies produced after 1982 contain zinc, which is toxic to dogs and cats.
Sierra, a West Highland White Terrier, was always attracted to coins, according to her owner, Maryann Goldstein, in an interview with CBS Denver. In fact, as a puppy, Sierra ate 32 cents and underwent surgery to remove the coins.
This past March, Sierra became very ill and Goldstein took her to the vet. X-rays showed a quarter and a penny in her stomach. The penny, though smaller than the quarter, was the bigger problem because of its zinc content.
The reason pennies are so dangerous is because gastric acid in the stomach eats into the penny very quickly, releasing the zinc and causing it to be absorbed by the body. Zinc inhibits the production of red blood cells and the longer the exposure to the zinc, the greater the damage to red blood cells.
Zinc toxicity symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, jaundice, and red-tinged urine.
According to Dr. Rebecca Jackson, a staff veterinarian at Petplan pet insurance:
"Zinc toxicosis is more commonly seen in dogs, but cats can get sick from eating pennies, too," warned Jackson. "Be sure to bank your spare change before curious pets can get their paws on it -- and if they do, get them to the emergency vet immediately."
Smelly Socks and Shoulder Pads
According to Dr. Karen Halligan, director of veterinary services for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles, hundreds of pets require surgery every year to remove articles of clothing and similar items from their stomachs and intestines.
There was the toy Poodle that swallowed a tube sock. Dr. Halligan made the dog vomit and removed a foot-long sock from the tiny dog. Dirty socks are among the most commonly ingested items of clothing. Your pet really loves your socks because they smell like you.
There was also the Great Dane who required multiple surgeries after eating shoulder pads.
While these stories may seem funny, the fact is non-food items such as these can be very dangerous if ingested by a pet. Fabric items don’t appear on x-rays, and within about 48 hours, a pet who has swallowed a piece of clothing will have symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite and lethargy.
If ingested cloth is removed early, normally the pet has a full recovery. But if your dog (or much less commonly, your cat) eats something you aren’t aware of and time passes, the intestines will begin to die from lack of a blood supply. Sometimes the only option to save the pet is to remove the intestines. Surgeries to deal with odd things pets swallow are costly – at least $2,500 to $5,000 according to Dr. Halligan.
Left untreated, an ingested cloth item can result in a fatal case of dehydration or peritonitis caused by bacteria invading the stomach.
If you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.