Milo ate cigarettes!!

[yorkiemom79]

I let Milo play next door with his playmate, and the owner came over and told me that Milo took 2 of his cigarettes accidentally and chewed them up! I know that they are bad for him, it doesn't look like he ingested too much of it. Should I be worried? Has this happened to anyone else? I don't smoke, I didn't think I would have to worry about this.

[shelbysmom]

I never post here anymore but I saw this and had to respond.

call the emergency vet.

a friend of mine almost lost her yorkie this way.

[jencar98]

Phone number for Animal Poison Control 888-426-4435, Good luck, and let us know how it's going.

[yorkiemom79]

Thanks for all your concern. So far he is not showing any of the symptoms of toxic poisoning (i.e., hyperactivity, vomiting, increased heart rate, diarrhea). I will take him to emergency if he shows any symptoms. Im praying that he didn't ingest them!

I can't believe that the Poison control center isn't free!!! It costs 55 dollars for a consultation! Thats unbelieveable to me, with all the pet lovers in the world, this organization is poorly funded.

I will keep you posted!

[ldenise]

Archie grabs my husbands cigarettes all the time. so far he has not gotten sick. I hope he never does. the problem is training my husband to put them up where Archie can't reach them.

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by yorkiemom79

Thanks for all your concern. So far he is not showing any of the symptoms of toxic poisoning (i.e., hyperactivity, vomiting, increased heart rate, diarrhea). I will take him to emergency if he shows any symptoms. Im praying that he didn't ingest them!

I can't believe that the Poison control center isn't free!!! It costs 55 dollars for a consultation! Thats unbelieveable to me, with all the pet lovers in the world, this organization is poorly funded.

I will keep you posted!

If he chewed them, he likely has ingested tar and nicotine both very toxic. Once symptoms show up, it may be tricky to do anything. Toxins can affect kidney/liver/heart.

[TootiesMom]

is Milo doing ok?

[Lacy's Mom]

Here's some info on nicotine toxicity and dogs. How is Milo doing today?

Nicotine is a poisonous alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant and used in medicine and as an insecticide. Nicotine is found in a variety of sources, primarily cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, nicotine gum and nicotine patches. However, the fact that nicotine alone is an extremely toxic poison often goes unmentioned. Not many people realize that nicotine is sold commercially in the form of a pesticide. Nicotine is toxic to humans if enough is ingested at once, and many children are seen in emergency rooms every year after eating cigarettes or cigarette butts. Ironically, the dizziness and nausea that hit people after smoking their first cigarette is actually a very mild case of nicotine poisoning.

Nicotine is toxic to our pets, too. The most common source of nicotine is tobacco products like cigarettes, cigarette butts and even nicotine gum and patches. The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. For example, one cigarette contains 15-25 milligrams of nicotine, and nicotine patches contain between 8-114 milligrams of nicotine. A 10-pound dog would only need to eat 2-4 cigarettes in order to show toxic signs. You should note that even after smoking, tobacco retains a significant amount of nicotine residue.

What To Watch For

Signs of nicotine toxicity generally develop soon after ingestion. When large amounts are consumed, the effects can be life-threatening, but even small amounts can induce symptoms. Without treatment, nicotine toxicity can cause paralysis of the breathing muscles and your dog may die from an inability to breathe, sometimes within a few hours. If your pet exhibits any of the following symptoms, call your veterinarian.


Bradycardia (slow heart rate) and cardiac arrhythmias

Depression

Tremors

Fast breathing

Drooling

Hyperactivity

Lethargy (in high doses)

Dilated pupils

Stumbling

Possible seizures

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of nicotine toxicity is generally based on a history of exposure to or eating of nicotine products and development of some of the toxic signs.




Treatment

Recovery can take up to a week or more and cause the animal to be very uncomfortable. The immediate treatment is to reduce the amount of nicotine in the stomach keeping your dog alive until the nicotine is broken down by the body. Despite treatment, some pets that have ingested large amounts of nicotine may not survive. Your veterinarian might do any of the following:


Induction of vomiting if you witnessed the nicotine ingestion and the pet is alert. Ask your veterinarian for advice.


Pumping the stomach and periodic feedings of charcoal to reduce further nicotine absorption, hospitalization and intravenous fluids.


A ventilator to assist with breathing until the toxin can be cleared from their system for severely affected dogs.

Home Care

If nicotine ingestion is witnessed, induction of vomiting may prevent the toxic signs of nicotine poisoning. Consult your veterinarian or local emergency facility for instructions regarding inducing vomiting at home.

Once the signs of nicotine toxicity have developed, home treatment is not effective and immediate treatment by a veterinarian is encouraged.

Preventive Care

The best prevention is to eliminate the source of nicotine. Keep cigarettes, cigars, and all nicotine products out of the reach of your pets. This includes ashtrays, chewed nicotine gum and used nicotine patches. Remember, even ash and used products still have residual nicotine. The amount of ingestion required for toxicity is a lot higher than with the unused product, but the potential for toxicity is still there.

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by Lacy's Mom

Here's some info on nicotine toxicity and dogs. How is Milo doing today?

Nicotine is a poisonous alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant and used in medicine and as an insecticide. Nicotine is found in a variety of sources, primarily cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, nicotine gum and nicotine patches. However, the fact that nicotine alone is an extremely toxic poison often goes unmentioned. Not many people realize that nicotine is sold commercially in the form of a pesticide. Nicotine is toxic to humans if enough is ingested at once, and many children are seen in emergency rooms every year after eating cigarettes or cigarette butts. Ironically, the dizziness and nausea that hit people after smoking their first cigarette is actually a very mild case of nicotine poisoning.

Nicotine is toxic to our pets, too. The most common source of nicotine is tobacco products like cigarettes, cigarette butts and even nicotine gum and patches. The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. For example, one cigarette contains 15-25 milligrams of nicotine, and nicotine patches contain between 8-114 milligrams of nicotine. A 10-pound dog would only need to eat 2-4 cigarettes in order to show toxic signs. You should note that even after smoking, tobacco retains a significant amount of nicotine residue.

What To Watch For

Signs of nicotine toxicity generally develop soon after ingestion. When large amounts are consumed, the effects can be life-threatening, but even small amounts can induce symptoms. Without treatment, nicotine toxicity can cause paralysis of the breathing muscles and your dog may die from an inability to breathe, sometimes within a few hours. If your pet exhibits any of the following symptoms, call your veterinarian.


Bradycardia (slow heart rate) and cardiac arrhythmias

Depression

Tremors

Fast breathing

Drooling

Hyperactivity

Lethargy (in high doses)

Dilated pupils

Stumbling

Possible seizures

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of nicotine toxicity is generally based on a history of exposure to or eating of nicotine products and development of some of the toxic signs.




Treatment

Recovery can take up to a week or more and cause the animal to be very uncomfortable. The immediate treatment is to reduce the amount of nicotine in the stomach keeping your dog alive until the nicotine is broken down by the body. Despite treatment, some pets that have ingested large amounts of nicotine may not survive. Your veterinarian might do any of the following:


Induction of vomiting if you witnessed the nicotine ingestion and the pet is alert. Ask your veterinarian for advice.


Pumping the stomach and periodic feedings of charcoal to reduce further nicotine absorption, hospitalization and intravenous fluids.


A ventilator to assist with breathing until the toxin can be cleared from their system for severely affected dogs.

Home Care

If nicotine ingestion is witnessed, induction of vomiting may prevent the toxic signs of nicotine poisoning. Consult your veterinarian or local emergency facility for instructions regarding inducing vomiting at home.

Once the signs of nicotine toxicity have developed, home treatment is not effective and immediate treatment by a veterinarian is encouraged.

Preventive Care

The best prevention is to eliminate the source of nicotine. Keep cigarettes, cigars, and all nicotine products out of the reach of your pets. This includes ashtrays, chewed nicotine gum and used nicotine patches. Remember, even ash and used products still have residual nicotine. The amount of ingestion required for toxicity is a lot higher than with the unused product, but the potential for toxicity is still there.

Exellent information, thank you so much for posting it.

[yorkiemom79]

Thank you everyone for your concern! I just love this website. Milo is doing great today. Therefore, I assume that he did not eat enough for it to be toxic. However, this information is wonderful to have, and I thank you so much for your efforts! Hopefully this will never happen again.

I wonder about the charcoal...I've seen charcoal bones in the pet store. I wonder if that would be helpful to give him next time he eats something bad and I freak out! Does anyone know anything about that?

[Lacy's Mom]

Activated charcoal while very good at absorbing and eliminating many poisons isn't something you generally administer at home, usually just by the vet.
Here's a link that explains it uses.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/activ...article_em.htm

If would be good to have hydrogen peroxide around though and you can give 1/2 tsp to induce vomiting to get rid of the toxic substance that way. This must be used within an hour to an hour and a half to be useful. Dogs are like humans though you don't always want to induce vomiting - like in one instance if the dog drank gasoline or some other caustic substance that would burn the stomach or esophagus - you wouldn't want to induce vomiting and have it go through the esophagus again.

[Lacy's Mom]

Here's a site that tells some substances and whether or not you should induce vomiting.

http://www.twodogpress.com/healthy.html

[yorkiemom79]

Originally Posted by Lacy's Mom

Here's a site that tells some substances and whether or not you should induce vomiting.

http://www.twodogpress.com/healthy.html

Thank you! You are a great resource!