11/04/2026
To conclude our series on common toxins, this week we will be focusing on other miscellaneous toxins commonly treated in pets.
🐀Rodenticides (rat or mouse poison)
-Symptoms may include: lethargy, pale or bleeding gums, coughing/vomiting blood, bloody stool, bloody discharge from nose, bruising, weakness, seizure, incoordination, breathing difficulty.
💊Human medications
-Ibuprofen: vomiting and diarrhoea, black stools resembling coffee grounds, increased thirst/urination or no urine produced, lack of coordination, seizures
-Paracetamol (cats – a single tablet can be fatal): brown coloured tongue/gums, severe lethargy/depression, rapid/laboured breathing, facial/paw swelling, vomiting and loss of appetite, dark coloured urine
-Many other human medications
🧽Various common household cleaning products including bleach
🍹Ethanol found in alcohol, mouthwash, hand sanitiser, perfumes and raw fermenting bread dough
-Symptoms may include: bloated/distended abdomen, vomiting/unproductive retching, weakness/lethargy, trouble breathing
✅Tips for preventing toxicity include the following:
-Ensuring all household cleaning products used are labelled as pet safe
-Ensuring any substance considered toxic to pets are securely kept out of reach of pets and children
❗️Treatment of the aforementioned toxins is critically time sensitive and pets must be treated as soon as ingestion/symptoms are noticed❗️
If you suspect your pet may have ingested/come in to contact with any toxin, please call us on 01296 326200 immediately for sensible advice.