Autumn and winter are here, and people in the Northeast may add or replace antifreeze in their motorcycles to help survive the winter. Ethylene Glycol is the main component of antifreeze. It tastes sweet but is highly toxic. Ingestion of a small amount can cause coma or even acute renal failure in small animals. If your cat accidentally eats it, parents are asked to take it to the veterinarian quickly for treatment. Ingestion of antifreeze is an emergency. If it is not treated in time, the cat’s life may not be saved.

Because antifreeze has a sweet taste, pets like the taste very much, but cats will be poisoned and die if they drink antifreeze. Antifreeze is traditionally made from ethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance that when digested turns into oxalic acid, which can damage an animal's kidneys and cause kidney failure and death. Due to the potential toxicity of ethylene glycol, manufacturers have begun using propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol to make antifreeze.

Low Tox brand products produced by Preston Company in the United States and Sierra brand products produced by Safe Brands Company are considered harmless to pets and children. Although these products are often labeled as "harmless" or "nontoxic," unfortunately, no matter how formulated antifreeze is, it is never completely nontoxic. Antifreeze made with propylene glycol is relatively safe because humans or animals need to ingest a larger amount to be poisoned, but if a sufficient amount is ingested, it can still cause poisoning or even death. Caution is the best policy when handling antifreeze. Cleaning up any antifreeze spills promptly and keeping them out of reach of your cat is the best way to protect your pet from harm, no matter what brand of antifreeze you use.

1. Symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning

During the first 12 hours after ingesting ethylene glycol, the animals drank unusually large amounts of water. They may experience "drunk" symptoms, and in severe cases, they may experience epilepsy (convulsions) or even coma.

Within 12-24 hours after ingesting ethylene glycol, the apparent "drunk" state may disappear, and you may feel that things are going in a good direction. However, glyoxylic acid in the body is slowly accumulating, causing acidosis. The situation is obvious. At this time, small animals may have accelerated heartbeats and breathing, or may become dehydrated.

Within 12-24 hours after cats accidentally ingest ethylene glycol, the small animals will develop symptoms of kidney failure due to the formation of calcium oxalate crystals, including depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, and reduced urine output.

2. Treatment methods

There are only two solutions for treating ethylene glycol poisoning: ethanol or 4-MP (fomepizole, fomepizole). The focus of treatment is to stop in timeStop metabolites such as glycolic acid and glyoxylic acid formed by metabolism in the body, and prevent the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. Therefore, cats must receive treatment within three hours after ingestion. If treatment is delayed, these drugs will not be able to make a difference. Although the time period is slightly longer, the earlier the treatment, the better the prognosis.

In addition, there are some special medicines for antifreeze poisoning such as vodka. This cat named Missey was brutally doused with antifreeze by a group of people outside their house. The family found out and immediately sent the cat to the veterinary hospital. The doctor told owner Paul Stephenson and his daughter Sara that vodka could be used to detoxify the cat. Doctors injected vodka into the cat's body through an intravenous drip, and the strange treatment finally worked.

Sara said: When we heard about this treatment, I was very surprised. I had no idea that vodka could be used to treat animals. Missey was completely drunk and had been treated for two days with 0.5 liters of 37.9% vodka. It wanted to stand up, but it couldn't walk smoothly and fell down. Its eyes were dull. It even tried to grab a pen at one point, but couldn't. The drunk cat first went to White Cross Veterinary Hospital in Redcar, England, and is now under 24-hour observation at Vets Now Hospital in Middlesbrough. Andrew Miller, a doctor from White Cross, said: "This vodka treatment is very special, but it is a common method for animals that accidentally eat antifreeze. Because of the intravenous injection, they will become very drunk, and the main effect is The ingredient is ethanol. Antifreeze is very toxic to the kidneys of animals. We specifically chose to use vodka because the ethanol in it can neutralize the toxic substances in the antifreeze."

He added: "Antifreeze is very toxic to animals and is life-threatening. Sadly, not all the animals we treat who accidentally eat antifreeze survive, but as long as they are treated promptly and given vodka It reacts with the antifreeze in the body, and the chance of survival is very high."

In summary, antifreeze is delicious to small animals, but ingesting a small amount can cause irreparable consequences. One teaspoon (1 teaspoon=5ml) of antifreeze can kill a cat. If you suspect that your little one has ingested the antifreeze under the car in the garage, be sure to take it to a veterinarian for examination! The veterinarian can confirm the diagnosis through a blood test. The sooner you treat ethylene glycol poisoning, the better the outcome.