You may wonder what the benefits are to calling a veterinary toxicology service if your pet gets into something that they shouldn’t. Is it worth the money? Can a human medication really affect my pet differently than it would affect me? Shouldn’t your vet know how to treat everything? These are all common thoughts, but the reality is that animals are often affected very differently when exposed to products that may not be problematic for humans, and there are a lot of factors that determine how to treat a poisoning, making it difficult for your veterinarian to know how to treat everything your pet may be exposed to.
Can’t I just make my pet vomit and call it a day?
Even what appears to be a simple question of “should I induce vomiting?” needs to be thoroughly considered. There are some species that cannot vomit. In other species, such as cats, there is nothing we can use at home to safely induce vomiting. When inducing vomiting in a dog at home, there are many questions we ask as we determine if this is something that would be beneficial. What should you use and how much? Many things, such as salt, can harm your pet if you use them to make your dog vomit. Does your pet even need to vomit? Did your pet ingest a harmful amount? Could inducing vomiting make things worse? Does your pet have any underlying health issues that would make inducing vomiting unsafe? Does your pet take any medications that may interfere with inducing vomiting? Even the breed of your dog goes into determining whether it is safe to induce vomiting at home. These are only a few questions that are considered when determining if your pet should have vomiting induced.
Do I really need a specialist?
Specialties exist because it’s impossible to know everything about everything. Specialized fields, such as toxicology, exist in medicine because it requires additional extensive training and education to be fully adept in a particular topic. If you had a heart problem, your primary care doctor would refer you to a cardiologist. If you had a skin problem, you would be referred to a dermatologist. In the case of a toxicity concern, referral to a toxicologist may be needed. Because a veterinary toxicology service specializes in exposures to any kind of toxin in any kind of animal, they have a large amount of data, knowledge, and experience that make them an invaluable resource when it comes to managing a toxic exposure in a pet. Different animals vary in how they respond to things and different doses of medications ingested can lead to different clinical signs. Some species are more sensitive to certain drugs than other species. For example, a medication that is meant for your dog that is ingested by your cat may be toxic to your cat. Or a flower that does not cause any clinical signs in a dog can be deadly to a cat. Dogs are notorious for eating everything they can find and therefore, are more prone to eating larger quantities of substances. So, some substance or medication that may be safe at a lower amount may be more dangerous in a larger amount.
What does the consultation fee cover?
The one-time per incident consultation fee covers the entire consult from start to finish. It involves speaking to our veterinary technicians to obtain information regarding your pet (species, breed, age, health conditions, medications, etc.) and discussing what happened (what your pet got into). If there is anything that can be done at home, our veterinary technicians will discuss that with you and potentially be able to prevent an unnecessary trip into the vet clinic. If your pet does need to seek veterinary care at a veterinary hospital, your veterinarian can call us and talk to our veterinarians specializing in toxicology and veterinary toxicologists. They will go over what the concerns are, what signs to watch for, any preventative measures that can be taken, and the best therapies for your pet. The one-time per incident consultation fee includes unlimited call backs on the particular case by your or your veterinarian. Our team of experts are available 24/7, so you and your veterinarian can reach us any time of the day or night.
