Vet reveals five toxins all pet owners should know about – but many don’t

A British vet has revealed a list of poisons and toxins that pet owners should be aware of, but often don’t.

Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in a video on TikTok, where he has more than 208,000 followers.

He captioned the video: ‘If your pet ingests any of these toxins, contact your vet as soon as possible. The treatment is much more likely to be successful if early intervention is taken.’

Ben then looked for things that can make pets extremely ill or even be fatal.

In the video he said: ‘The first are lilies. If you have a cat, make sure you never have lilies in your home.

‘I know it’s very difficult when someone gives you a beautiful bouquet of flowers only to throw them away, but it’s not worth the risk.

‘I have seen several cats die from lily poisoning. They can cause kidney failure and are often fatal. All parts of the lily plant are poisonous, but often the pollen is the culprit.

‘It drips onto the surfaces of their fur. Cats lick it off, swallow it and become poisoned.”

The second thing he listed was human painkillers.

Ben said, “Never self-medicate your pet. Again, these (ibuprofen and acetaminophen) are particularly toxic to cats. Even small amounts can cause kidney failure and serious stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal complaints.

‘Ibuprofen is also very toxic to dogs. Although paracetamol can be used as a painkiller, it is very easy to overdose, especially small dogs. So never give your dog paracetamol without advice from a vet.’

Moving on to his third item, he mentioned artificial sweetener xylitol.

According to the expert (photo), he has seen cats die from lily poisoning, so it is important to throw away bouquets of flowers

He said: ‘(It’s) fine for people to eat, but it can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and is found in many products such as chewing gum, mouthwash and some candies such as gummy bears.’

He added that it is usually dogs that become ill from ingesting xylitol, explaining: ‘There is some kind of malfunction in the system where the dog’s body recognizes xylitol as if it were sugar, releases insulin, and this can causing blood sugar levels to drop to dangerously low levels, causing blood sugar levels to become dangerously low. can cause seizures and even coma and death.’

Fourth, Ben mentioned antifreeze. It is one of a number of automotive products, including windshield washer fluid, engine coolant and windshield defroster, that contain ethylene glycol.

He said: ‘(This) is a substance that, when ingested by the dog or cat, can cause crystals to form in various organs such as the brain and kidneys.

‘This can lead to neurological symptoms, as well as kidney failure. Interestingly enough, no joke, one of the treatment options for ethylene glycol poisoning is intravenous vodka.

Ibuprofen and other human medications can also be bad – or even fatal – for animals, Ben reveals in the video

And finally, he mentioned the fifth unexpected toxic item: moldy food.

“This is usually more of a dog problem than a cat problem,” he explained.

‘I once saw a small terrier exhibiting violent tremors.

‘We didn’t know what caused it at first – it wasn’t until the owners looked in their garden and discovered their dog had gotten into their compost bin that we found out it was due to exposure to mold toxins that… interfere with nerve function and can even cause seizures .

‘That dog was very bad, but fortunately has fully recovered.’