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The ASPCA Poison Control HotlineUS Owners of a Possibly Poisoned Pet Can Call 888-426-4435
The ASPCA's Poison Control Hotline can give pet owners information on whether an item is toxic, symptoms of toxicity in pets, how to treat the pet at home and more.
Chocolate. Antifreeze. Onions. Medication. Insect and rat poison. Chewing Gum. Plants. Spiders. They can all be poisonous to dogs, cats and other pets and even the most careful, cautious pet owner may find him or herself in a situation where their pet has ingested a potentially toxic substance. Boston area native Virginia Hadley had one such experience several months ago, and it was the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline that came to the rescue. The hotline, which can be contacted at 1-888-426-4435, has ASPCA board-certified veterinary available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to offer advice and provide information to pet owners and veterinarians alike. Virginia Hadley’s Miniature Pinscher Daisey is alive and well today thanks to the experts at the ASPCA Poison Control Center, who came to the rescue in January 2008. “My daughter was staying at my home, for a belated holiday visit,” Hadley explained. “We went into Boston for the day, did some shopping, and we returned home to find that Daisey had raided my daughter’s luggage. This is a dog who chews or tries to eat just about anything – goats don’t have anything on her – and she ate chocolate, she ripped apart a pack of cigarettes, and she was just starting on a tube of lotion when we came home and found her.” The outcome could have easily been a bad one – it was a snowy weekend night, and the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic was more than thirty minutes away. Fortunately for Hadley, she had the number for the ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline posted on her refrigerator, as she had learned of the service when she adopted Daisey from the Massachusetts Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) several months earlier. And like many other humane organizations across the nation, the MSPCA’s Poison Control number links directly to the ASPCA’s experts. “I called and they instructed me on how to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide and we were able to get her to an emergency clinic shortly thereafter. It’s a good thing that we called because she was in pretty bad shape for a while there and the vets said that the outcome may have been different if her body had had a chance to absorb more of the toxins.” When calling, pet owners are first asked to provide basic information such as the pet’s species, breed, age, sex, and weight. Callers are then asked to provide information on the actual exposure incident, including what toxins or products were involved and method of exposure. The experts will also discuss the pet’s symptoms and how much time has elapsed since the exposure to the toxin, and based on this information, an action plan is developed. Recommendations can range from closely monitoring the pet at home, to inducing vomiting, to rushing the poisoned pet to an emergency clinic for more comprehensive care. In many cases, a pet owner receives some welcome news: the substance their pet came in contact with is not toxic. Pet owners are also urged call back with follow-up questions on a case – it’s all included in the $60 consulting fee, which helps defray the costs of running the hotline and other services offered by the humane organization, which receives no state or federal funding. It’s not just pet owners who benefit from the comprehensive hotline; veterinarians can also receive information and advice from the toxicologists and other poison control professionals. The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline’s professionals have access to a massive database comprised of toxin and product information, and case studies. The database includes information on common pet reactions to various toxins and how to administer home first aid treatment for case of toxicity in a pet. Notably, none of the information utilized by the hotline’s staff is the result of animal testing. Contact the ASPCA’s Poison Control Center by calling 888-426-4435. Related Reading:
The copyright of the article The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline in Pet Care is owned by Mia Carter. Permission to republish The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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