There are several types of chemical might be available in the house. A fully adult human being is well acquainted with the use of chemicals, and they know how to come in contact with the different chemicals present in the house. But like kids, dogs are unaware of the chemicals, and they sometimes, by mistake, may ingest the chemicals.
Just like how we care for the kids and prevent them from coming in contact with the chemicals, we must keep the chemicals out of reach of the dogs as well. Motor oil is one of the petroleum-based chemicals many times easily found in the house. Dogs are much prone to get this chemical ingested and then poisoning. It can cause several health hazards in dogs.
The petroleum products are rich in hydrocarbons and other toxins that can cause serious harm to the dogs. Since they are easily available in the houses, dogs have a high chance of getting exposed to these toxins. Do many people have queries about what to do if the dog drank motor oil?
In this case, the only recommendation is to meet your veterinarian as soon as possible. Then, you can give the activated charcoal to the dog for the emergency as it is antitoxin for many chemical poisons. Here in this guide, we will tell you everything related to motor oil poisoning in dogs.
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What are the reasons for motor oil poisoning in dogs?
When any dog comes in contact with the motor oil or other related chemicals, it can cause direct skin contact type poisoning. The major reason for motor oil poisoning in dogs is due to ingestion of motor oils. The dog can ingest motor oil from the leaky containers, open containers with motor oil in them, motor oil spilled out from a car accident, leaky storage tank of motor oil, and broken motor oil pipeline.
What are the symptoms of motor oil ingestion in dogs?
When any dog ingests motor oil, the following symptoms will be seen in the dog:
The primary symptom of motor oil poisoning in dogs is irritation in the oral canal. This will lead to diarrhea or vomiting in the dogs.
Other symptoms include hypersalivation, clamping of jaws, vomiting, coughing, and choking.
You might notice the presence of oil in the vomiting, difficulty in breathing, loss of appetite in dogs, oily discharge from the nose, depression, dry feces, shivering or excitability, oil in the feces, lack of coordination, head tremors, dehydration, and sometimes coma, and respiratory failure.
Diagnosis of motor oil poisoning in dogs
When you see any of the above symptoms in the dog, along with the leaked or open access to the motor oil, do not delay visiting your veterinarian.
Even if you do not witness the incident, you can notice the smell of the oil and its small amount on the skin of the dog. After taking the fluid sample from the dog’s gastrointestinal tract, the veterinarian will diagnose the poisoning type.
Treatment of the motor oil poisoning in the dog
Many people have queries about what to do when the dog ingests the motor oil. In this case, the only way is to take your dog immediately to the veterinarian. For emergency treatment, give your dog the activated charcoal. This charcoal has a feature to absorb all the toxins and thus reduce its effect.
The veterinarian, based on the condition of the dog, will treat it symptomatically. For example, when a dog feels pneumonia due to aspiration of the motor oil, there might be a need for the oxygen supplement to combat the dogs’ breathing issues.
The motor oil on ingestion also causes dehydration, so fluid therapy is essential to restore the normal fluid content in the body of the dog.
In the case of pneumonia, when there is bacterial involvement, the dog will also be administered some antibiotics. Steroids are not recommended in aspiration pneumonia cases as they might worsen the condition.
The bottom line
So there was all related to the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and the treatment for the motor oil ingestion poisoning in the dog. We never recommend you do the treatment at home to ingesting motor oil, and there may be life-threatening issues to your dog. For emergency, you can use the activated charcoal but must take the dog to the veterinarian.