Antifreeze poisoning in dogs

Every year a great number of dogs and cats are poisoned by swallowing ethylene glycol based antifreeze, the sort that is used in car radiators. Dogs and cats seem to be attracted to it as it is said to have a sweet taste and an enticing smell. Relatively small amounts of this substance can cause serious problems, a medium sized dog could be poisoned by as little as 4 tablespoons of this stuff and in cats as small an amount as 2 teaspoons can be fatal.

Problems can occur when people change the antifreeze in their cars and let the old liquid run down the drive or often cats and dogs are temporarily placed in garages where antifreeze may not have been stored properly and they get access to it. Another surprising source of ethylene glycol is in ” snow globes ” poisoning incidents have been reported where the globe has fallen and shattered and the pets have drunk the toxic contents.


Symptoms : Poisoning with this substance occurs in two distinct stages:

Stage 1 :

•Staggering
•Vomiting
•Confusion/disorientation
•Listlessness
•Excessive drinking and urination

The first stage of antifreeze poisoning starts approximately thirty minutes after ingestion. Your dog will be appear to be drunk, he may vomit, stagger and suffer from confusion and disorientation. This stage of the poisoning may last for several hours.


Stage 2 :

•Diarhea
•Convulsions
•Unconsciousness

Stage two will commence after your dog will have gone through what appears to be a recovery period. He'll seem to be getting better, but shortly (possibly a day or longer) afterwards, the toxins will permanently damage his liver and kidneys as these organs try to metabolize the poison.



Treatment : Do not attempt home treatment under any circumstances if you think your pet may have swallowed ethylene glycol, take your dog or cat straight to your vet, do not delay and use an emergency vet if you have to.
There are safer antifreeze solutions, these are the ones which contain Propylene glycol, while they can still cause problems they are considerably less toxic than the brands which contain propylene glycol, if you have pets consider switching to one of those brands.

It might just be me that does this but also nitro cleaner used in the model car racing is primerily anti freeze so beware it is also present in other cleaners and de-greasers you may find in your shed to give longer shelf life in cold sheds

great post and very good advice lisa

danger in the home there are numerous household products that can prove fatal if ingested by your dog. these include antifreeze {that Lisa has already mentioned} boric acid. hand soap, detergents, insecticides, mothballs, household cleaners, bleaches, deicers, polishes and disinfectants, paint and varnish removers, acetone, turpentine and even health and beauty aids if ingested in large enough amounts, what you would keep locked away and hidden away from your 2 year child should also be kept hidden for your dog.