Toxicity to pets

Kerosene is one of the hydrocarbons that may be commonly found garages. Hydrocarbons are often referred to as “petroleum distillates” based on their viscosity (e.g., thickness). The thinner that they are, the more likely they are to get into an animal’s lungs if vomited. These products can be mildly irritating to the gut and have laxative effects.

If your dog or cat ingested hydrocarbons, one should never induce vomiting, as it can make the pet worse and predispose them to aspiration pneumonia (e.g., when vomitus is inhaled into the lungs).

Common signs to watch for:

• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Increased breathing
• Skin irritation
• Eye irritation
• Staggering
• Coma