Tens of thousands of pets die each year from ingesting ethylene glycol-based (EG) antifreeze.  Attracted by its sweet taste and smell, your dog or cat can be killed by ingesting as little as 1 teaspoon of EG antifreeze.  A compound in the antifreeze disrupts the calcium balance in the animal's system, resulting in acute, irreversible kidney failure within 12 - 24 hours.  Kidney failure is followed by uremic poisoning, possible seizures and a coma, and death. 

If you see your pet ingesting antifreeze, don't wait until it develops symptoms of poisoning - immediate veterinary attention is crucial.  While symptoms may appear as early as 30 minutes following ingestion, sometimes they don't show up for several days.  What if you don't catch your pet in the act?  If your dog or cat appears disoriented, drunk or wobbly, this may be an early warning sign.  As the condition progresses, your pet may vomit, seizure, appear depressed or listless.  Other symptoms include excessive thirst and frequent urination.

Your vet can administer a medical antidote that can save your pet's life if administered in time.  The ideal treatment window is the first 4 hours, but you must get your pet to a vet within 12 hours to avoid kidney failure.  Prognosis depends upon the amount of antifreeze your pet ingested.  If you can't get to the vet immediately, try inducing vomiting in your pet by giving it 1 teaspoon of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide per 5 pounds of body weight.  Vomiting should start within 10 minutes.

The best course is to prevent your pet from ever ingesting antifreeze in the first place.  Measures you can take include (1) servicing your car at a garage, (2) placing used antifreeze in a plastic container, sealing it tightly and taking it to an automobile service station for recycling, (3) storing antifreeze containers where pets can't get at them, and (4) cleaning up all antifreeze spills.  The solution I like best?  Use a nontoxic, propylene glycol-based (PG) antifreeze.  There are several major brands of antifreeze available on the market that use PG rather than EG.  Next time you go shopping, consider your pet's safety and make the switch to PG antifreeze.

Dino, November 2000 

Disclaimer: This should not be considered medical advice.  As always, consult your
veterinarian.