Many types of antifreeze contain ethylene glycol, a substance that acts as a poison for dogs. Ethylene glycol has a sweet flavor and dogs frequently are attracted to it because of the taste.
Immediate Treatment Is Important for Dogs Poisoned with Antifreeze
If your dog has ingested antifreeze containing ethylene glycol, he needs immediate veterinary treatment to give him the best chance for survival.
- Dogs treated within eight hours of ingestion of ethylene glycol can often be successfully treated.
- If your dog is already showing signs of kidney failure, his prognosis is poor and dialysis is the only recourse.
Treatment Options for Ethylene Glycol Poisoning in Dogs
There are two medications that are available for treating dogs who have ingested antifreeze.
- Fomepizole (Antizol-Vet®) is the preferred method of treatment because it only rarely causes side effects. It is given intravenously (into a vein).
- Ethanol is an alternative treatment. Ethanol must be administered intravenously also. However, ethanol is not a pharmaceutical-grade medication. It also causes numerous side effects, such as depression of the central nervous system, hyperosmolality (a change in the concentration of various substances within the body fluid) and metabolic acidosis (an increase in the acidity of the blood and body tissues).
- Neither of these medications will work effectively if your dog ingested ethylene glycol more than eight hours ago.
Supportive Treatment of Dogs Who Have Ingested Antifreeze
Besides instituting either fomepizole or ethanol treatment for your dog, your veterinarian will also try to get as much of the antifreeze out of your dog's stomach as possible. Your veterinarian will likely try to induce your dog to vomit. Lavage (flushing) of the stomach may be recommended. Activated charcoal may be administered to "bind" the antifreeze.
Your dog may also need to have fluid therapy to help dilute the toxicity and help flush the kidneys.
Your veterinarian will also perform some blood testing. If these blood tests indicate that your dog is suffering from metabolic acidosis, the vet may also administer bicarbonate if the acidosis is severe.
What If Ethylene Glycol Poisoning Is Not Treated Early?
If your dog has ingested antifreeze that contains ethylene glycol and the poisoning is not treated within eight hours, his chances of surviving the poisoning diminish considerably.
Ethylene glycol causes kidney failure, and once the symptoms of kidney failure begin, life-saving measures, including dialysis, are the only treatments likely to save your dog's life. Even aggressive treatment is not guaranteed to be effective in this situation, and many dogs do not survive the poisoning.
Antifreeze frequently contains ethylene glycol, a substance poisonous to dogs. Though the toxic dose is dependent on your dog's weight, it does not take much antifreeze to poison and potentially kill a small dog. Treatment needs to be started within hours of the ingestion if your dog is to live. If left untreated, ethylene glycol will damage your dog's kidneys and even expensive treatments to save his life may fail.
Additional Reading: Antifreeze Poisoning in Dogs and Cats: Ethylene Glycol Toxicity
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