A teaspoon of salt might help a dog that has swallowed nicotine.

[dc2k08]

Just came across this pet forum today where a member asked what to do as their dog had swallowed a piece of nicotine gum and they were unable to travel to a vet.

Some of the members suggested giving the dog a spoonful of salt as this induces vomiting in dogs. another suggested giving it some cheese (and surip of ipicak?) to absorb it. Don't know how worthy this advice is but i'm posting it here in case someone finds themselves in a similar situation.

Also some vets advice people to give pets small doses of hydrogen peroxide if they cannot get to a clinic fast enough to induce vomiting.

They will also use apomorphine, which is a little tablet of medicine put into the eye and it makes pets vomit as well. I think the key piece of info here is to get your pet to throw up and fast !

Harvey swallowed nicotine gum...HELP!

 

[slianfoxob]

thanks for the heads up.

i'll have to ask my vet about this next week when we go for a visit though. while i don't doubt that salt will make them vomit, it's my understanding that salt is very bad for canines as well. also, the difference between the gum and our liquid is quite large. Liquid nic is going to be absorbed really quick and I'm not sure inducing vomiting is going to do much.

I'll find out next week and let ya know what I find out.

Foxy

 

[dc2k08]

no worries, let us know what you find out from a qualified source.

 

[slianfoxob]

haha. i'm a total helicopter parent when it comes to my babies. i don't want anything to hurt them. they're on a strict strict diet.


Foxy

 

[Tetsab]

I was interested in this as we have cats, and though I doubt they'd lick at spilled e-juice (dogs tend to be more omnivorous and go for just about anything) it is a small concern. Not something to keep me up nights but if there is a definitive answer I wouldn't mind knowing what it is.

Thought I'd heard of 'Ipecac' as an emetic so googled it and found this on Wikipedia: Syrup of ipecac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To be honest sounds as if it was something that was used in the past but isn't recommended nowadays, at least for humans. The worst aspects were it saying that the effects of the ipecac could mask the symptoms of the problem itself OR actually overdose on the ipecac itself.

Agree that a spoon of salt probably isn't something you'd want to shove down an animal's throat, but if it did work (and fast) presumably most of the salt would come back up as well?

I'll keep an eye on this thread and hope like hell that no-one finds out the hard way.

 

[dc2k08]

interesting, i doubt many have that lying around the house. by the way in case anyone is wondering. "syrup" is one word i do know how to spell but in the OP it was transcribed as a "sic" from the forum where it was posted if that makes sense.

<< DC = not a total wally all the time. (just to clear that up)

I think it might be hard to get a cat to eat salt, they are a lot more suspicious and squirmy. dogs will have a go at anything though including whole live horny toads as i once found out. it might be an idea to keep some of that eye med that was mentioned around the house, if the vet allows it, but yeah looking forward to see what foxy finds out.

edit: oh yeah and apparently cats do like the sweet taste of pg which is not added to cat food on account that it could be dangerous though the tests are inconclusive.

 

[Kate]

Inducing vomiting is not a good idea apparently or introducing anything which could increase alkalinity, nicotine is absorbed better in an alkaline environment.


# INGESTION:

* Immediately remove the patient/victim from the source of exposure.
* Ensure that the patient/victim has an unobstructed airway.
* Do not induce vomiting (emesis).
* Patient/victims often vomit spontaneously.
* Only if airway is secured administer charcoal as a slurry (240 mL water/30 g charcoal). Usual dose: 25 to 100 g in adults/adolescents, 25 to 50 g in children (1 to 12 years), and 1 g/kg in infants less than 1 year old.
* Do not administer antacids; alkaline conditions improve the absorption of nicotine.
* Monitor heart function and evaluate for low blood pressure (hypotension), abnormal heart rhythms (dysrhythmias), and reduced respiratory function (respiratory depression).
* Evaluate for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), electrolyte disturbances, and low oxygen levels (hypoxia).
* If evidence of shock or low blood pressure (hypotension) is observed, begin intravenous (IV) fluid administration. If fluid administration fails to reverse hypotension, dopamine and norepinephrine may be used.
* If seizures occur, treat them with benzodiazepines.
* Maintain adequate hydration and urine output.
* Seek medical attention immediately.

The Emergency Response Safety and Health Database: Systemic Agent: NICOTINE

 

[dc2k08]

that's for humans though right ? and only kind of feasible if those materials are available. It does say "do not induce vomiting" but only because vomiting might occur naturally.

interesting that they use a charcoal slurry as an absorber. wonder if you could get an animal to take some and if cheese is worthwhile at all.

 

[Kate]

I'm thinking the vomiting thing is to do with pH. The stomach is very acidic which is not good for nicotine absorption but the oesophagus and mouth membranes are in a less acidic environment and might be more likely to take in nicotine. You can't avoid vomiting if it's naturally occurring but you can avoid taking action to cause it.

What's the idea with cheese? Is it acidic or something?

 

[dc2k08]

dunno kate, someone mentioned on that pet forum. thought it would absorb it or something. maybe as you say it has something to do with balancing ph levels.

 

[Tetsab]

Confess I really can't imagine what the possible benefit of cheese might be. Unless someone were thinking of a concentrated version of milk, traditionally thought to 'line the stomach' perhaps. Whereas from what Kate has said, you really don't want to mess with the acidity in the stomach as that is helpful. People with ulcers drink milk to ease acid discomfort, don't they - so I think this is possibly NOT a good idea.

My partner used to have several dogs before we met, including an Irish Wolfhound; who for all her wonderful characteristics suffered badly from flatulence - that's farting if you aren't being technical! He used to feed her 'charcoal biscuits' which you can get in a petfood shop, they were supposed to help absorb the noxious odours - a bit like a cooker hood filter does, I suppose. Apparently it didn't make all that much difference but Lizzie was perfectly happy to snarf 'em down.

I wonder if having a quantity of these on hand might be an idea to have on hand as 'emergency first aid' for dog owners? Probably as cheap and simple as you could get. Not much good for cats, but so it goes.

From the sound of Kate's scary Emergency Response stuff, I'd say if you know it has happened, throw the animal in any vehicle you can get your hands on, phone the vet on the way to meet you there if it is out of hours and get to the surgery breaking land speed records on the way - well that is what I would do, anyway. Will await Foxy's report on the vet's advice with interest.

On the lighter side, the Emergency Response did make me grin when I looked at it again - it tells you to do things like starting IV fluids and treat seizures with benzodiazepines BEFORE recommending you seek medical attention. I don't know about you guys, but my medicine cabinet ain't THAT extensive...

 

[Kate]

I suppose if the fatal dose for a child is around 10mg then it will be much less for a pet, a couple of licks.

The important thing with overdose in people is maintaining breathing and cardiac function. Apparently it's just a matter of waiting for effects to wear off in a day or two.

 

[nakli_dhumrapan]

edit: oh yeah and apparently cats do like the sweet taste of pg which is not added to cat food on account that it could be dangerous though the tests are inconclusive.

I thought cats lacked the taste buds to taste sweet things.

 

[TropicalBob]

And this tip

* Do not administer antacids; alkaline conditions improve the absorption of nicotine.

tells you to chew Tums before puffing the Ruyan Vegas. It will increase mouth absorption of nicotine. It's true.

 

[dc2k08]

I thought cats lacked the taste buds to taste sweet things.

i don't know, i'm just going off all the articles that say cats and dogs love the taste of antifreeze and it is sweet so people should avoid using the types that contain ethylene glycol and go for the ones with PG instead. PG and EG act and taste the same way but EG is a fatal poison.

so, looks like tums might become apart of my vaping kit.

 

[Tetsab]

Hey - we're getting a bit off-topic here, TB!

Or is that your way of suggesting we should lighten up around here a bit? If so, I think you are probably right. I'm going to go and cuddle my cats and listen to them purr...

All the best

 

[madog]

Here you go - used info here once when my beloved farm dog got in to a chuck of bad fish - got the website from my vet - She also started the dog on antibiotics the next day when I took here in - Kept her hydrated with 1 Tablespoon of Sugar Water (every 15- 20 minutes) and a teaspoon of of cottage cheese (once an hour) per the vets recommendations. Here is the Activated Charcoal Dosing guidelines

The recommended dose of activated charcoal for all species of animals is 1-3 gm/kg body weight.

ANY pharmacy has this. I asked her about nicotine and she said dogs have a great ability to handle some pretty nasty stuff and have a higher acidity to the stomachs to protect them from nasties that would harm say a human. A dog of reasonable size ( Say a LAb) should see no real ill effects from a piece if nicotine gum however starting them on activated charcoal would be a good idea and follow up with a vet as soon as possible if they are like starting to "climb" a tree after the kitties.


Website here.
ASPCA Tips to Manage a Poison Emergency

 

[bowcat]

when i used nicotine patches i had to hide them when done because my cat was so attracted to them. she used to try to eat them.

 

[TropicalBob]

We had a post a long time ago about an e-smoker's cat wanting to lick e-liquid off his fingers after he refilled carts. My dog turns up his nose at e-liquid. He's most disinterested in it as food.

Yeh, Tetsab, just having a moment, not trying to derail.

 

[Silk]

Madog is on the button here - activated charcoal is a great neutraliser, out of interest the stuff the sell to add to fishtank filters is the same stuff and very handy in an emergency. I've even taken it myself when working with Monkshood (wolfbane) and was dumb enough to smoke at the same time (duh!)
We've used it on the cats before now (many years ago one munched its way through a certain 'plant' we're not supposed to grow here Didn't stop him being 'very mellow' for about 2 days, but made sure he wasn't sick from the oils)

Dunno about the states, but over here we also have a dog biscuit called bonio who also do charcoal ones, any time she's been out and 'found something nice to eat' (usualy something dead, or her current favourite ... groundbait )- we give her a couple when we get home - and it helps stop dodgy belly syndrome.