Ingestion of toxic foods and non-food items is one of the most common issues we deal with in dogs of any age. Though puppies are certainly more prone to exposure, a counter surfer or garbage diver of any age can encounter toxic foods. Most pet owners are aware that chocolate is toxic to dogs, however, there are a wide variety of foods that can cause problems for our pets. Cats may be less likely to ingest these products but be aware that they are more sensitive to the toxic compounds found in chocolate and coffee than dogs. The ASPCA website also has a very thorough list of common toxic foods and plants that may be around your home or pantry.
In Wally’s case, he had eaten about half a bag of fresh (unbrewed) dark roast coffee grounds and maybe part of the bag. Coffee, like chocolate, is toxic mostly because of its caffeine content, though some flavors may also contain additional toxic products. In general, unroasted beans are less toxic than roasted ones. Similarly, used coffee grounds are much less toxic than fresh (unbrewed) ones. Caffeine is generally very rapidly absorbed from the GI tract; causing symptoms in as little as 30 minutes after ingestion. Theobromine (the main toxic compound in chocolate) is absorbed and can cause symptoms with in 2 hours of ingestion. The most common symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea, increased thirst and restless. Higher doses can cause additional neurologic symptoms such as agitation, trouble walking and high heart rates. Severe symptoms such as seizures and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) can be seen with very high doses.
For most food-based toxins that have been recently (within the past hour) ingested, inducing vomiting is often the first step. This is most easily accomplished with a special compound that causes nausea administered at the clinic. Do not attempt to induce vomiting at home without specific guidance.
For cases like Wally, where vomiting was induced shortly after eating the coffee grounds, or in cases where the dose of whatever was ingested is relatively low, supportive care often sufficient. Unfortunately, there are not true “antidotes” for all toxins. In cases where a high dose is ingested or the item ingested is very toxic more intensive care or hospitalization may be needed.
Also, save the packaging of whatever was eaten and bring it with you if possible, along with a rough approximation of how much was eaten. This helps determine the “dose” of the toxic compounds your pet ingested so we can better predict what sort of symptoms to expect and how severe they might be. There are several pet poison hotlines that you can call that can help determine what further steps should be taken. Please keep in mind there is usually a cost associated with these hotlines, but they can provide a lot of great information to both you and the veterinary care team.
So back to Wally. He was brought to the clinic and made to throw up that coffee. Fortunately, it was less than 20 minutes after he had eaten it, and he did not suffer any side effects at all. He was lucky, as we hope all silly dogs who get into things they shouldn’t, will be.