Tigger Club News
By Animals - For Animals
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First Aid for animals
- Poisoning

There are many different items around the house, garden and even out and about that can be dangerous for animals.
Humans cannot always be there when an animal eats, touches or even rolls in something poisonous.
It can sometimes take hours or days for animals to show signs of poisoning.
Phone your vet as soon as you think the animal may have eaten something poisonous.
Acting fast can make a big difference to the animal, it could even save their life.

What to do when a human is there to see it happen.
Remove the item or substance from the animal if possible.
Check the packaging for ingredients and any advice.
Contact your vet as soon as possible for further advice, giving as much information as possible about the item that was eaten/touched/rolled in.
Where possible, take packaging with you to the vet, so they can check and treat the animal quicker.

Never wait to see if the animal develops symptoms as this could take hours or day, by which time more damage could have been done to the animal and the delay could affect the ability of the vet to treat the animal.

Do not try to make the animal sick unless specifically advised to do so by the vet.
The reasons you don’t force an animal to be sick are:
- The product(s) you use to make the animal sick may have a reaction to whatever the animal has already eaten.
- As the animal is being sick, some of it may get forced into the lungs creating damage to the lungs, depending what item/substance the animal had eaten.

After the vet has successfully treated the animal I is very important to complete the course of medication the vet has prescribed, even if the animal appears to be well again.

What to do when a human is not there to see it happen.
Realising an animal has been poisoned is difficult as the early symptoms could show as any range of illness.
The first thing humans may notice is that the animal is off their food, has a bit of an upset tummy or is just not right.
This is why it is important for humans to be aware of what is normal and what is not normal behaviour in animals that they live with.
The general changes, although not always, ae gastric changes, changes in gum colour, drooling, shaking and panting.

The main thing to remember, when unsure ask your vet.