If you suspect that your pet has been exposed to metaldehyde you should contact your vet or their out of hours veterinary care provider immediately to arrange an urgent appointment.

Background

Metaldehyde is a chemical which is commonly used to control or kill slugs and snails. These chemicals are easily accessible and can be bought in many forms such as liquids, sprays, gels, pastes and granules/pellets. To attract slugs, these pellets often contain bran or molasses which also makes them tasty to other animals. They are frequently used and often by unsuspecting pet owners.

We should always take care to protect ourselves while using these products but we should also take extra care and consider the impact their use can have on the environment, pets and on wildlife which frequent the area being treated. We advise you to always make an informed decision, do your research and if you deem this product to be essential then please use the product extremely carefully.

Pets are curious by nature and it is very common for them to be accidentally exposed to slug or snail bait. Pets love to investigate new things by digging, scratching, sniffing, licking and chewing. Pets are at risk of poisoning by metaldehyde (slug bait) if it is eaten, especially in large quantities for instance if the container of slug killer has not been properly secured and stored following its use or if the container has been damaged.

Signs of poisoning

Affected pets can show signs of metaldehyde poisoning anywhere from immediately to 1 to 3 hours following ingestion. Symptoms of this toxicity depend on the amount of metaldehyde ingested and symptoms are similar in most species of animals. Symptoms of metaldehyde poisoning are often referred to as ‘shake and bake’ as the pets affected may have severe tremors or seizures accompanied with an extreme fever. Symptoms can include:

- Vomiting

- Diarrhoea

- Excessive drooling

- Abdominal pain    

- Pale or bluish tint to the pet’s gums or tongue

- Nystagmus in cats : eyes appear to move to and from in an unusual horizontal manner

- Dilated pupils

- Severe muscle tremors

- Sudden onset anxiety uncharacteristic of the pet

- Increased sensitivity to external stimuli

- Ataxia: a group of disorders that affect coordination, balance and speech 

- A sudden elevation in a pet’s heart rate

- Fever

- Breathing more deeply than usual

- Depression

- A dramatic and abnormal body posture 

- Seizures

If you suspect that your pet has been exposed to metaldehydes you should immediately contact your vet or their out of hours veterinary care provider to arrange an urgent appointment.

Decontamination

Unfortunately there is no specific treatment for metaldehyde poisoning. However the sooner your veterinarian can initiate the urgent, symptomatic and aggressive supportive care the better the outcome for your pet.

Supportive care can include the use of intravenous fluid therapy (a drip) and decontaminants. Decontamination can be achieved by inducing vomiting (if your pet is not showing neurological effects) or gastric lavage under a general anaesthetic (if your pet is showing neurological effects) and adsorbents to help minimise further absorption of metaldehyde in the gastrointestinal tract 

This emergency care can only be provided for your pet in the clinic. High level veterinary care, such as this, may take 3 - 5 days before your pet can be safely discharged to recuperate fully at home. 

Prevention

Prevention is better than cure so here are some helpful tips on how best to protect your pet from accidental poisoning: 

- Avoid the use of products that contain metaldehyde.

- Store containers upright, in a secure area and out of the reach of pets and children.

- Keep pets away from areas where there are visible signs of slug/snail pellets or where notified of their use.

- Follow the instructions of the product carefully.

- Check the container and its lid regularly for any signs of damage or leaking.