Why it is dangerous to dogs
Antifreeze, the coolant poured into a car's cooling system, can contain ethylene glycol. It tastes sweet, so a dog readily licks it off a garage floor, from a puddle under a car or from an open container. In the body, ethylene glycol is turned into substances that damage the kidneys.
At first the dog can seem drunk: it staggers and vomits. Later it can seem to get better, although the kidneys are being damaged at that very time. The amount that causes harm differs from dog to dog and cannot be judged at home. Time matters a great deal here.
If your dog may have licked antifreeze, contact a vet or an emergency clinic straight away, even if it seems well. Tell them when it could have happened, and take the packaging with you.
What to watch out for
- At first the dog staggers, vomits and seems drunk.
- The dog can drink and urinate more.
- The kidneys can be damaged, and later the dog may stop urinating altogether.
- Improvement after the first signs does not mean the danger has passed.
- Clean up any leak in the yard or garage at once and keep containers tightly closed: it is dangerous to the neighbours' animals too.
What it can cause
Signs that can appear after eating it. Each page explains what to look out for and when to hurry to a vet.