It is spring in California, and people are starting their gardens. Gardens have a way of attracting unwanted guests. Snails and slugs rank high on the list of pests that most gardeners would be happy never to see.

Many people therefore purchase innocuous looking boxes of snail and slug bait. The boxes contain seemingly innocent granules containing an ingredient called metaldehyde. The granules can be placed in gardens to keep them snail- and slug-free.

But those granules are far from innocent. The other day at the emergency hospital a client brought a box of snail bait for me to evaluate. She also brought her Labrador Retriever, who was suffering from massive seizures after consuming a small portion of the box’s contents.

The side panel of the box contained a warning, about a third of the way down, in print that was almost too small to read: “May cause fatal reactions if consumed by dogs.”

May?!! If I had my way, boxes of snail bait containing metaldehyde would be imprinted with a giant skull and crossbones. The warning would be printed in bold all caps, would take up half of the box, and would read something like this:

THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS METALDEHYDE, A POTENT NERVE POISON. DOGS THAT CONSUME THIS PRODUCT WILL DIE HORRIFIC DEATHS UNLESS THEY RECEIVE RAPID VETERINARY ATTENTION. THIS PRODUCT IS FORMULATED TO BE PALATABLE TO DOGS.

The client who brought the dog and the snail bait to the emergency hospital had purchased the product not knowing that it could be toxic to her dog. She felt horribly guilty that her beloved pet, after six hours of intensive treatment, still was at risk of death.

But it wasn’t her fault. Nobody could be expected to find and read the measly warning printed on that box.

When I was a child, my father would put saucers of beer in the garden. Slugs and snails crawled in and drowned (after, I assume, getting too drunk to navigate their way out). The strawberries thrived, and no non-molluscs were harmed.

But if push came to shove, I’d let the snails have their way with my garden before I’d ever think about purchasing snail bait made with metaldehyde.

Photo credit: macrophile. Photo license: CC.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Should my Dog’s Stomach be Tacked to Prevent Bloat?
• Dog Attends Party, Wakes up With Hangover
• Is Grey Hair a Sign of Bad Health?
• Do Puppies Need to Eat Puppy Food?
• Official Vet Blog Recommendation: if Your Dog Pulls on the Leash, Use a Harness Instead of a Collar

The other day my mother forwarded me the link to the newest canine viral video, Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog. The video had already been featured on the Yahoo! home page, so I knew it was getting millions of hits. My nephew purportedly watched the video a dozen times, laughing riotously all the while. I decided to see what the fuss was about.

My initial reaction to the video was to think that Bizkit needs to see a neurologist. Undoubtedly, sleep walking occurs in normal dogs. But Bizkit’s efforts are extreme. And it is not common for dogs to wake up snarling and then run headlong into a wall. Bizkit could hurt himself or someone else, I thought. What if, next time this happens, Bizkit is lying next to the stairs and falls down them? To me, the events in the video looked more like a seizure than like normal sleep walking.

I doubted my own assessment of the situation until I reviewed the sequel to the video, Bizkit the Sleep Walking Barking Dog. This video features the same star in the same room, from a different angle. Bizkit again goes through a violent episode of running in his sleep.

What happens next in the video is not normal. Bizkit awakes, raises his hackles, barks, and stares into space for over a minute. This behavior is typical of dogs recovering from a seizure or similar neurological event.

Bizkit’s owners didn’t ask for my advice, but here it is: I would strongly recommend that Bizkit see the vet for a full neurological evaluation. Bizkit’s behaviors could be harmless, but they also could be symptoms of a serious problem.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Snail Bait: Possibly the Worst Idea in Human History
• Christmas Presents can be Deadly for Dogs
• What are Seizures and What Causes Them?
• Should my Dog’s Stomach be Tacked to Prevent Bloat?
• Las Vegas Enacts Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law

I would like to advise everyone with dogs to think twice before following instructions on a gift that read do not open until Christmas.

A very nice family I met last night received a Christmas present from an acquaintance. They placed it, still wrapped, underneath their tree. Unbeknownst to them the package contained a pound and a half of dark chocolate.

Although the family had no way of knowing the package’s contents, their dog sniffed it out in short order. He consumed the entire block of chocolate and most of the wrapping.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs. Small amounts may cause no symptoms, or may cause mild agitation. Larger quantities can cause muscle spasms, high body temperature, and severe agitation. Fatal doses cause seizures, heart palpitations, and death.

This dog had consumed a potentially fatal dose. The family sought veterinary attention immediately. We were able to save the dog with intensive overnight management. But for much of the night a favorable outcome did not seem certain. Without prompt medical attention the dog certainly would have died.

In my mind, this story is a good reason to treat yourself to the pleasure of opening all of your gifts as you receive them.

Image originally found here.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Have a Happy Halloween. And Keep Your Dog Away From the Candy!
• Snail Bait: Possibly the Worst Idea in Human History
• I Think Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog Should See a Vet
• Study Lists the Top 10 Human Drugs that Poison Pets
• Melamine in Chocolate Points to Link Between Human and Animal Health

My dog Ozzie has been having what the
vet called “grand mal seizures”. Blood tests
ruled out liver, kidney, etc as the cause. He
does have a heart murmur. The vet thinks he
either has epilepsy or a brain tumor. He has
prescribed phenobarbital daily. Ozzie
has been taking the medicine for just over a week
and there does seem to be some improvement. He
has not had another seizure and has started to act
more normally. In recent weeks his behavior had
changed. He was not as friendly, more withdrawn,
and would not jump up on the furniture or the bed.
A few weeks ago, I could not keep him off the
furniture. Now he seems to be back to his old
self. Do you think this sounds like epilepsy or
do I need to worry about brain tumors? Ozzie is
almost 7 yrs old and weighs 23 lbs.

Rebecca
Ogden, Utah

Gran mal seizures are very frightening to behold. Pets that suffer these types of seizures lose consciousness and collapse. Their limbs flail wildly. They may urinate or defecate during the event, which usually lasts less than a minute.

A period of irregular behavior may occur before and after seizures. These periods may last just a few minutes, or up to several days. This phenomenon may, or may not, explain Ozzie’s irregular behavior leading up to his seizures.

Seizures occur when an area of the brain develops abnormal electrical activity. This activity spreads to and takes over other areas of the brain. When large portions of the brain are engulfed in abnormal activity, a seizure occurs.

Seizures have many causes. In very young animals, epilepsy is a leading cause.

In animals of any age, metabolic problems such as low blood sugar and liver problems can lead to seizures. As well, animals of any age can suffer from infections or abscesses in the nervous system, or trauma to the head–any of these can cause seizures.

In older animals, brain tumors frequently trigger seizures as well as behavior changes (which, once again, may or may not explain the changes in Ozzie’s behavior leading up to the seizures).

Based upon your description, I cannot tell what is causing Ozzie’s seizures. Your vet took the correct first step by running blood tests to look for metabolic conditions. If you want to know more, the next step is diagnostic imaging: X-rays and ultrasound of the chest (this will also help to assess Ozzie’s heart) and abdomen, followed by MRI scanning of the brain. In many (but not all) cases, these tests lead to a definitive diagnosis.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

• Snail Bait: Possibly the Worst Idea in Human History
• I Think Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog Should See a Vet
• Christmas Presents can be Deadly for Dogs
• What Causes Trembling in Dogs?
• Should my Dog’s Stomach be Tacked to Prevent Bloat?