Pet's death reminder of everyday dangers

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Pet's death reminder of everyday dangers
Trouble lies in plants, chocolate, mouthwash and toads

By Mónica Ortiz Uribe
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The Stankey family's 1-year-old Shih Tzu, Stasha, was no match for a nasty grey toad she bit and toyed around with while the family trick or treated on Halloween night.
After 45 minutes of foaming at the mouth, restlessness and difficulty breathing, Stasha died in her owner's arms.
That night the five Stankey family members learned a dire lesson about potentially harmful elements to their pet.
Fatal hazards to man's best friend and other household pets usually increase during the holidays. Dangers range from common things around the house to the unexpected, and sometimes unpreventable.
Melissa Stankey, a mother of three who lives in Elk, tried her best to rinse out her dog's mouth while family members called the emergency veterinarian service on Halloween.
The technician who answered the phone said the dog would be fine. In fact, Stankey's outdoor dogs at home made a habit out of biting toads, foaming at the mouth a little and going back to normal.
Local veterinarian Luann Ervin, who was Stasha's vet, thinks that the toad that killed Stasha was not native to the area and may have been moved here by people from another region.
Ervin suggests that the best place for most pets is inside the home or in a well-fenced yard. Further prevention, such as antitoxins and vaccines, can be used for hunting or rural dogs.
While Stasha's death would have been difficult to prevent under the circumstances, according to Ervin, many dangers that surface during the holidays can be prevented.
Household hazards
One of the most dangerous and surprisingly tempting dangers for household pets is antifreeze.
Dr. Jerry Stewart, who has practiced veterinary medicine in the Waco area for 30 years, said antifreeze tastes and smells sweet to dogs and cats.
"It takes one ounce or less leaking from your car to harm your pet," Stewart said.
The tasty but deadly substance, ethylene glycol, in antifreeze can cause kidney failure in animals and a "horrible death" within a week or less, Stewart said.
A common problem Stewart treats at his clinic are burns from pets biting electric cords. A bad burn can cause organ failure or instant death. Stewart recommends covering extension cords or taping them to the floor.
From a feline's perspective, the family Christmas tree looks a lot like a playground does to a small child. Cats love to swipe at and, eventually, chew on and swallow tinsel and ornaments, which can block or damage their intestinal track.
Trees also should be well-secured to prevent them from toppling over should a curious kitty decide it's climbable.
Another Christmas tree hazard is the water underneath natural trees. If lapped up by a pet, the water could cause an upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea.
"Curiosity killing the cat tends to be true this time of year," Ervin said.
Rat poison, medications of all kinds, including Tylenol and aspirin, and household cleaners should be kept away from a pet's reach. Even a small amount of any one of these elements could be fatal to a dog or cat, Stewart said.
Household plants such as lilies, ivy and poinsettias could be dangerous if ingested by pets.
A danger that may not be as obvious to pet owners is feeding leftovers to their cats and dogs.
Poultry bones that a dog can swallow won't be digested and can be removed only with an operation. The same situation could occur with a large fruit pit or core, like a peach or an apple.
Fat from meat can cause pancreatic inflammation, a condition Stewart and Ervin said they see a lot of after Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Other fatal foods for dogs that may be plentiful during the holidays are baking and dark chocolate. Theobromine, a substance found in chocolate, is a cardiac stimulant and a large enough dosage can kill a dog overnight, Stewart said.
Stewart tells all his clients to simply feed their pets pet food as a general precaution.
"They don't need to know that it's Christmas and we've got all this special stuff to eat," he quipped.
An uncommon event
Toads are not usually on the death list for pets, especially not for Central Texans, said Andy Price, a herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
There are no toxic toads native to Texas, he said, except for the marine toad, which can only survive the heavily humid climate of South Texas.
"All toads have toxins in their skin as part of their defense mechanism," Price said. "In the 20 years I've been in the Texas area, I've never seen a fatality as a result of a pet biting a toad."
The mild toxin carried by the dozen or so species in Texas could cause dogs who bite toads to foam at the mouth, a normal reaction that goes away with no harm done to the animal he said. It helps to rinse the dog's mouth out with water without squirting it down the animal's throat, he said.
Unfortunately, the Stankey family may never know exactly what kind of toad killed Stasha.
Replacing Stasha won't be easy, Melissa Stankey said.
But as an avid pet lover, she said, the family has many pets to love including dogs, cats, ducks and a couple of peacocks.