My four-legged friend has eaten my hand warmer…

Yep, it can happen! Regardless of how improbable it sounds, it can be seen that there will be e.g. dogs in who thought that these disposable hand warmers that you take with you on trips are toys. Hand warmers are great for keeping your hands and feet warm when the winter really bites, but they can be toxic to the pets that eat them.

Iron

Iron is essential for the growth and development of the body, but in large quantities it can be very toxic. This is where the problem comes in, because many of these small hand warmer packages contain iron and unfortunately in a large enough amount that it becomes toxic to our animals if they eat them.

Poisoning

The level of toxicity from iron depends on how much is already in your pet's blood at the time they eat the packet and how much is ingested. Eg. if a dog ingests more than 20 mg/kg of iron, it can cause internal bleeding, as it is very corrosive to the mucous membrane of the intestines and stomach. Iron is deadly, but it is almost unlikely that an animal will die from eating one hand warmer, as large amounts of iron are needed for that to happen.

Symptoms

The symptoms can vary depending on how much metal is in the different hand warmers, the amount that was eaten and how much iron content was already in the animal's blood. If your friend has ingested one or more hand warmers, they may show the following symptoms:

• Pain in the abdomen
• Diarrhea that may contain blood
• Vomiting
• Arrhythmia
• Rapid heart rate
• Panting
• Shock
• Lethargy or malaise
• Tremors

What should you do

If you suspect that your dog has eaten the hand warmers, call your vet for guidance immediately. If you know that your animal has eaten a hand warmer, it is important to go to the vet so they can determine how much iron is in the blood. The sooner you get to the vet, the less treatment will be required.

What does the vet do?

The vet will perform specific tests, which include blood tests to test serum iron levels, and he may need to perform more tests to check total iron binding levels. The vet may also perform a biochemical profile to check the function of specific organs, such as the liver, and he may also perform urinalysis. An X-ray of the stomach area may need to be taken to identify any metal objects in your dog's stomach if the hand warmer has contained metal objects.

Treatment

If your animal has just eaten the hand warmer (within 30 min.) the vet will most likely try to induce vomiting (do NOT do this at home!). If a large amount has been ingested, the vet may perform a gastric lavage under sedation using an endotracheal tube. In addition to that, activated charcoal can also be given to help absorb the iron.

If there are clear signs of poisoning, your animal will be hospitalized and fluid therapy in the form of IV will be used. This is because it is important to restore any lost fluids, acid-base balances and electrolytes. The fluids help prevent hemorrhagic shock, which can occur when large amounts of fluid are lost. In addition, it helps to increase the flushing out of the iron. Substances used to protect the gastrointestinal tract can also be given via IV.

In case of severe poisoning, the vet can give the antidote deferoxamine. It binds iron and can increase excretion in the urine.

last but not least

Although I wrote earlier that there was a fatality with iron poisoning, keep in mind that large amounts have to be consumed for this to happen. Most animals recover from iron poisoning without any trouble after treatment.

Having said that, it is still very important to keep your animals away from items that contain iron. Iron poisoning can e.g. also occur when consuming:

• Fertilizers
• Supplements
• Multivitamins
• Oxygen absorbers used in food items
• Prenatal vitamins
• Pesticides

                                                                              -MyPetPassion