Ethylene glycol is found in many antifreeze products, screen washes etc, it may also be found in some deodorants, heat exchangers and plane de-icers.

The most common route of poisoning in domestic pets is drinking antifreeze or screenwash that they find lying around or spilled or dogs may chew open a container.

Any suspicion of ethylene glycol poisoning should be treated as an acute emergency

Toxicity

There are three phases to the effects of ethylene glycol that take place in the hours and days after consumption.

In the first phase it can irritate the digestive system and rather like alcohol can cause neurological effects like dullness, loss of balance and vomiting, these signs may appear within 30 minutes of consumption. Pets may appear to recover completely from this phase after a few hours.

(Propylene Glycol is also used in some antifreeze, it is not as toxic as ethylene glycol but may mimic the acute phase effects of 

The second phase is the effects that ethylene glycol has on the lungs and heart.

These signs develop 12-24 hours after consumption and might include breathing difficulties or rapid breathing and a fast heart rate some pets may have seizures during this phase.

The third phase and most serious consequence is kidney failure which will usually commence 24-48 hours after the initial consumption. The seriousness of this will depend on what treatment has already been started and how much propylene glycol was consumed relative to the pet’s body weight. It will often be irreversible and fatal if early and intensive treatment is not given.

Diagnosis is usually made from a history of exposure to antifreeze etc, development of typical clinical signs and blood tests.

The outlook for pets that have consumed significant levels of ethylene glycol is very much worse if treatment is delayed more than 8 hours after consumption. If blood tests already indicate severe kidney damage then survival is unlikely.

For this reason any suspicion of ethylene glycol poisoning should be treated as an acute emergency

There are antidotes to the poisoning which if given early enough and consistently in the veterinary clinic over 36-48 hours can lead to a complete recovery.

Sadly cats often don’t return home until after the intoxication phase and the first sign of illness is kidney failure, which is often severe and terminal.