What to do when your pet is poisoned

In an attempt to save the lives of animals, the Boksburg SPCA is selling poison emergency kits from the SPCA office.

More and more cases of deliberate poisoning of animals, mainly dogs, within Boksburg are increasing.

Recently a Farrar Park resident lost her two beloved dogs to suspected poisoning.

According to Boksburg SPCA manager Maggie Mudd, time is really the essence when dealing with a possible poisoning and it is vital that the animal is seen by a veterinarian as quickly as possible so they can immediately begin treatment.

The Boksburg SPCA has answered some of the questions you might have when your animal is poisoned.

Symptoms a poisoned animal might show

An animal that could have been poisoned can show any (or some) of the below symptoms:

Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Excessive salivation (drooling)
Excessive hyperventilation (panting)
Dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing)
Convulsions
Seizures
Tremors and twitching
Abdominal pain
Disorientation
Small pupils

What must you do if you suspect your animal has been poisoned?

The faster you can get your pet to a veterinarian for assistance the better the chances the animal will survive.

Make sure you have your vet’s number on your cellphone since a lot of poisonings occur at night. Make sure your vet is available after hours for cases of emergencies.

As soon as you suspect your pet has been poisoned have someone contact your vet to let them know you are on your way.

Immediately remove the animal/s from the source of poison and, if possible, take a sample of the poison used with you to show the vet. Remember to protect yourself from the poison by wearing rubber gloves, protective clothing and shoes. Poisons can be ingested (eaten) or inhaled and absorbed through the skin.

Contact the SAPD

The police need to be notified in the case of a poisoning and, like with the vet, try to take a sample of the poison used to hand into the SAPD.

What can I do to help stop my domestic pet from being maliciously poisoned?

Although animals can be targeted at any time of the day, it is usually at nights when poisoning occurs. Keeping your pets inside the house during this period is one good way to keep them out of harm’s way. A dog that is kept outside to ‘guard’ the property is an easy target to be poisoned, especially if they will easily accept food from strangers.

How should deceased pets be disposed of?

If your pet dies because of being poisoned it is important to remember that the toxin (poison) remains in the body. The deceased animal should be incinerated as incineration temperatures will destroy these toxins. If this is not possible, the body should be buried at least one metre deep and away from water supplies.

Criminal offence

The Boksburg SPCA would like to inform everyone that the poisoning of domestic animals is a criminal offence that could result in a jail sentence for the perpetrator. We know of two separate cases where young children were accidentally poisoned by picking up bait that their family members had intended to use on domestic animals. Both of these cases resulted in culpable homicide charges being laid.

Boksburg SPCA sells emergency poison kits

In an attempt to save the lives of animals, the Boksburg SPCA is selling poison emergency kits from the SPCA office. These kits do not replace veterinary treatment and any pets suspected of being poisoned must still be seen by a vet as soon as possible, even after the use of the kit.

It is hoped, however, that these kits will give owners extra time to enable them to get the animal to the vet alive.

Kits sell for R35 each or R60 for two and they are very handy to have, just in case. They may just help to save your pet’s life.