Following are all selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List on the subject of emergencies and first aid. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

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<25 Apr 99 From Noreen Re: Emergency Question>

Hi all -- Nugget(non-crf) just came in from the outside, ate a little and is trying to throw up.  I thought it might be a hairball so I forced some Lax-aire into him.   He threw up a little liquid which was a bit brown (Lax-aire) and something very pink.   It is scaring me for fear it may be blood.

Does anyone know if you should induce vomiting in cases you don't know what they ate?   And if so what to use or should I just watch him.   He is laying on the edge of the bed with his head down like he feels bad....he is not acting normallly....and I don't know what to do......

In a message dated 4/25/99 5:40:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time, boles@writes:
<< Does anyone know if you should induce vomiting in cases you don't know  what they ate?   And if so what to use or should I just watch him.   >>

I wouldn't.  I would take him straight to the vet.  When they are outside,  you just have no idea what they can get into.  The vet can determine whether  or not it is serious and whether to induce vomiting - and they usually use charcoal, I would think.  I might be overreacting, but I would rather avoid surgery, etc. like I had to do with Cleo by spending a little extra $ right away.

Noreen, Do you have any Nux Vomica or Arsenicum album? If so, K. walker says you can give 4 pellets every 15 minutes until you can get to a vet.

Walker says,
"animals may eat poisons or drink them out of puddles or even absorb them through the pads of their feet.  Here's a partial list how to figure out which poison your pet has been in contatc with.

Kerosene or gasoline: Smell the animal's breath and feet.  Look for "rainbow" puddles.  Compare the smell of the puddle with the smell of the animal's breath.

Antifreeze: this is the most poisonous substance to all animals....Look for pink, red, or yellow-green puddles.

Batteries or acids: look for burn marks (blisters) on the mouth and feet.

Also consider lawn sparays, garden insecticides, and car oil.

What to do

If conscious

-Turn animal's head to the side, and drain out the mouth.
-Identify the poison.
-Dilute poison with water; make animal drink one half glass water.  DON"T DO THIS IF YOU SUSPECT PET HAS INGESTED ACIDS! Rinse with water  only.  You don't want the animal to swallow acids.
-Call poison control and floow their instructions: 1-900-680-0000 ($20  for the first five minutes, 2.95 for each additional minute) or
1-800-548-2423 ($30 flat fee)

Seek veterinary help immediately

End Quote.

He seems to be resting ok right now....I'm going to call the vet in an hour if he is still acting funny or gagging again....I'll keep this
post....I smelled his breath and looked at the gums, etc.  everything looked normal and breath smelled normal...we live in the country so the only stuff around is ours and we don't have anything he could get into that you mentioned (at least I don't think we do) we try to be extra careful because of the cats. Thanks....I'll keep everyone posted if there is a change for the worse.....

In a message dated 4/25/99 8:40:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time, boles@writes:
<<  Does anyone know if you should induce vomiting in cases you don't know what they ate?   And if so what to use or should I just watch him.   He is laying on the edge of the bed with his head down like he feels bad....he is not acting normallly....and I don't know what to do...... >>

One of our housecats accidentally walked through some spilled Shakley Basic G.  She was foaming and frothing.  I gave her about 6 activated charcoal capsules to absorb the poisons.  The vet said I saved her life.

I talked to the vet last night and from what I was describing to him, it was not a poisoning.  He slept pretty good all night but was a bit restless.  No more gagging.  He hate some Sensible Choice dry food with a bit of difficulty and also peed inthe litter box then ate a bit more.   I took him to bed with me and stayed most of the night in the same place, but would not purr or wash (except for his front paws). This morning he looks like he does not feel good.   I think I might be dealing with a uri....really see shortly.   Going in late to work as we have a vet visit first......thanks everyone for the poisoning information....I'll keep it all and hope I never have to use it.....post more this afternoon....oh, by the way...Before he ate and used the litter box I had rubbed some Rescue Remedy on his ear!   First time I've used it in an emergency situation and I could really tell the difference, will use it again as I put him in the carrier....thanks for all the prayers, white light, hugs and positive vibes...they got us through the night.....

Thanks so much to Susan, Diane and Judi for sharing thoughts on what Meg's problem might be.  We just returned from the vet. Megan's foot has a pulse and some, if diminished, feeling.  The vet is sure it's a blood clot so Megan had her first of at least 3 daily heparin injections.  There was no sound of heart murmur or cardiomypathy so the vet is hopeful that as long as we keep her blood thinned she will do ok for now.

The vet suggests giving 1/2 baby aspirin twice a week -- to keep the blood thin -- after we've finished the heparin.  Does that sound safe?

It's such a relief to be taking care of this problem relatively easily.  Megan's downstairs now having a snack before I leave for work.

thanks -
susan & miss megan

<<The vet suggests giving 1/2 baby aspirin twice a week -- to keep the  blood thin -- after we've finished the heparin.  Does that sound safe?>>

Motley was also put on baby aspirin after her blood clot - 1/2 baby aspirin every three days.  After about a month, however, she
developed severe diarrhea, so we stopped the aspirin.  That was in February, 1998, and she has been fine (thank you, God) ever since. I'm not suggesting you don't give her the aspirin...just be on the lookout for stomach irritation or other symptoms of abdominal distress.

How is Megan feeling?  Is she able to walk okay?  Poor baby....  :(

Sending [[hugs]] to you, and lots of healing vibes to Megan...

Diane, Motley, and Taz (and grand-kitty Mariah, too!)

Here is a pretty good site for furbaby CPR.  It includes pointers both to basic and to advanced measures.

Could be handy to know this in an emergency: http://members.aol.com/henryhbk/

<<what could I keep on hand to give a cat  if I think it has ingested some kind of  poison?  >>

Judy, I don't think there's "one" antidote, as different poisons require different treatments -- e.g. for some you induce vomiting, for some activated charcoal is used, and so on. Poisoning is one of those things that it's best to just let vets handle, since treatments vary, and the wrong treatment could do more harm than good...

<<what could I keep on hand to give a cat if I think it has ingested some kind of poison?  Could powdered charcoal mixed
in water be used to absorb if the  ingested matter is unknown.>>

Judy, In her book _The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care_, CJ Puotinen has a chapter on putting together a holistic first aid kit, which I am going to put together for my cats.  Puotinen does include activated charcoal in the kit--Here is what she says about it: "Available in capsules, tablets and powder, activated charcoal absorbs toxins and poisons.  For emergency use, buy
the powder."  p. 313

However, Vick is right.  You need to know which poison you are dealing with.  A good strategy is to keep the Animal Poison Control (Georgia, USA) phone number handy 1-900-680-0000 ($20 for the first five minutes, $2.95 for each additional minute) or 1-800-548-2423 ($30 flat fee).

If you are comfortable with homeopathy, a good book to have on hand is _Homeopathic First Aid for Animals_ by Dr. Kaetheryn Walker.  Two of the remedies Walker suggests for poisoning are Nux vomica and Arsenicum album, both of which I keep on hand.

Hi Debra

<<I have a friend whose 29 lb d*g, Jenna,  was intentionally poisoned by her  neighbor.  If anyone knows of what can be given to help this poor baby I would really appreciate it.  Jenna is in an emergency hospital right now.  >>

Stein, _Natural Remedies for D*gs & Cats_, pg 252, says re poisoning:
"Several homeopathic remedies are highly diluted forms of toxic substances like arsenic (Arsenicum), and strychnine (Strychnimum). Where the symptoms match, or where the pet has ingested these toxins, give the matching homeopathic under the Law of Similars (like cures like). ...Use *Strychninum* where there are convolsuions and spasm, violent jerks in the spinal column and rigid neck and back, with violent vomiting. The animal is restless and irritable, hypersensitive, and may go into convulsions at the slightest sound or touch. Symptoms come suddenly and explosively, and at intervals."

She has a lot of info for poisoning recovery nutrition and treatment, the first being to fast the animal for seveeral days until all toxins are removed from the body. If you don't have a copy of the book let me know and I'll type out the relevant sections for you. Poor Jenna, what a shocking thing to do to a defenseless animal... Hope she makes it.

Hugs from
Jean, the Sasket & Amber Pudgepot

Try calling a holistic/homeopathic vet; there may be a holistic antidote for it. I know that when I was treating my Wiley, when she gave me a remedy, she always gave me the antidote, just in case. Here is the name and # of a vet that helped me greatly-Dr Marcie Fallek (203) 254-8642 in Fairfield,  Connecticut. I am sending this post privately (as well as to the list) in the hopes that you get it sooner...

You have my prayers. I lost a beloved cat and a d*g that way too...