by Janice Willard DVM, from the October 2005 Newsletter

Rascal had a great time on his evening out. First he broke his leash and then he gallivanted about for several hours before returning home. Ah the taste of freedom! When he was hot and thirsty, he found a nice, sweet liquid and lapped it up.

By the middle of the night, Rascal was not so great.  He was lethargic, disoriented and vomiting. And he was one lucky dog because his owners brought him in for an emergency veterinary visit, where tests revealed what Rascal had discovered during his evening on a lark: Rascal had lapped up some antifreeze, a nearly fatal mistake.

Antifreeze is so common that we often fail to realize how deadly it is. Even the warning labels on the containers fail to stress the extreme toxicity or the very crucial element as to why it kills so many animals; it is sweet and tastes good to most animals. And people who have their cars serviced don’t even have the opportunity to read the warning labels and don’t realize that even a slow leak from their radiator onto the garage floor can release enough of the sweet tasting poison to kill their pets.

“As little as one tablespoon of diluted ethylene glycol antifreeze can kill an average-sized cat,” says Dr. Steve Hansen, board-certified veterinary toxicologist and director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (www.apcc.aspca.org).

“Dogs are a little less sensitive, but it still takes very little. In other words, it is very easy to get a lethal dose.”

Initially a poisoned animal may have vomiting, difficulty walking, lethargy, panting, abdominal pain and disorientation. But these signs overlap other diseases. Testing is necessary for an accurate diagnosis.

After the initial signs, the animal might start looking better as its body attempts to detoxify the poison. But looks can be deceiving, because what is happening on the inside is very serious. The body is designed to detoxify dangerous compounds. But in the case of ethylene glycol, it takes a moderately toxic chemical and converts it to more toxic chemicals, which destroy the kidneys.  Then the animal starts showing signs of illness again, lethargy and vomiting, but now its kidneys are destroyed, and, except in extremely rare circumstances, death is inevitable.  Only early and aggressive treatment is effective.

“Attention to storage and handling of antifreeze can reduce exposure,” says Dr. Hanson. “Be sure that concentrated antifreeze is stored up on a shelf away from animals and if you remove antifreeze from your radiator, make sure to properly dispose of it. Ensure there are no slow leaks from your radiator, as these can not only kill your own pet but any other animal that drinks from the antifreeze puddles.”

If your car is, unbeknownst to you, leaking ethylene glycol from its radiator, you could be condemning animals to a painful death. 

Safer antifreezes exist. These are based on propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. They are still toxic in high doses.  Their advantage is that they don’t convert to the toxic breakdown products that destroy the kidneys. But because this formulation is newer, it is used less often and you have to expend some effort to get it in your car. Your auto shop may not stock these, so if you want it in your car, you will need to purchase it and bring it with you. Still, with greater use and demand, there will be greater availability and fewer animals killed. 

My car came with ethylene glycol antifreeze and the owner's manual says to use only this. However, when questioned, I found that they have never tested the alternatives and have no evidence on which to make this recommendation. It would seem that apathy and inertia in the auto industry play a big role in keeping this killer in our midst.

Some states have laws requiring that antifreeze have a bitter flavor added to it.  This is to save human lives from accidental poisoning, but may well save animals also. Now with fall here and winter coming on, it is a good time to think about winterizing your car.  And it is also a good time to think about how you can protect animals from this attractive killer.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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