We have been made aware of some poisoning cases in Hexham. We must stress that no fatalities have occurred and we would urge pet owners to be vigilant, but remain calm.

Information regarding what type of poison has been found is unconfirmed but is believed to be slug bait. We hope the situation is resolved as soon as possible and those responsible think again about the consequences of what they are doing.

Whilst this is a rare occurrence, unfortunately pet poisoning is not. There are many dangers around your home, garden and out and about that owners should be aware of and more importantly, how to react to a potential pet poisoning. We have made a list of do’s and do not’s if the worst were to happen!

  • DO Remain calm

    Your pet will always react to your emotion. The most important thing is for them to remain as calm as possible, and they will need your calm and decisive action and that is much easier to achieve if you take a deep breath and gather the information your vet will need before calling them.

  • DO Gather information

    Gather as much information as you can about what has been ingested. Brand, strength and quantity. Next is timeframe. When did they ingest the product? Even a rough idea helps.

  • DO a health assessment

    Is your dog acting normal? Any increased panting? Salivating? – the more information you can give your vet, the easier we can treat your pet and advise you. If your pet has collapsed or is taking deep breaths, we will recommend you to be seen as an emergency immediately and would recommend you bring the product with you rather than find out the information.

  • DON’T panic

    A worried owner is a worried pet and depending on what they have digested and how long ago they may have ingested a product, an increased heart rate is not a good thing for your pet to have. It is difficult to stay calm in such a situation but if you are able to calmly gather what has been ingested, then give us a call with this information. If your pet is collapsed or very ill, call us to advise us of the situation. We will likely say to come straight down to us and for you to bring the ingested product if you know what it is.

  • DON’T assume your pet will be okay

    Of course we want your pet to be 100% well but some poisons are very slow acting and whilst your pet may appear okay at the moment, this could change. We always recommend giving us a call with the information of what has been ingested, how much and how long ago. If it is an obscure product we will sometimes call the Veterinary Poison Information Service (VPIS) for their input. They are the poison experts and will advise what to do. It is rare we will do this but unless it is an obvious poison, this may be the best action.

We hope you never need to use this advice, but if you find yourself in the situation where you need a vet because of poisoning then try and remember to stay calm. We are here for you and your pet, if you have any concerns just give us a call on 01434 607677 and we will help in anyway we can!