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Dog Lead Poisoning

Veterinarian Reviewed on April 1, 2014 by Dr. Janice Huntingford

Dog Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning can cause significant health problems for your dog and if left untreated result in death. If you suspect that your dog has ingested lead, you should have your dog tested immediately.

Sources of Lead In Your Home

Although most parents of small children try to remove all or most of the sources of lead in their home, there are many day to day products that contain lead. Although lead based paint is no longer sold in the United States, any home built prior to 1977 still may contain lead based paint and is still the most common cause of lead poisoning among dogs and cats. Remodeling can fill the air with lead dust and paint that can affect both animals and children. Other sources of lead poisoning for dogs are roofing, construction and plumbing materials, car batteries, lead fishing sinkers, lead gun pellets and wheel weights as well as leaded gasoline and oil from cars that use leaded gasoline.

What Age is you dog most likely to ingest lead

Dogs are more likely than other household pets to ingest lead. Puppies because of their chewing habits are most at risk as they will chew almost anything they can unless trained otherwise; though older dogs who chew a lot are also at increased risk.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning In Dogs

Dogs display a variety of symptoms such as Dog Weight Loss, Dog Vomiting, Dog Diarrhea, and sometimes seizures as well as acting somewhat hysterical. If you suspect lead poisoning in your dog seek veterinary care immediately.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis for lead poisoning in your dog requires a special urine test and/or blood test and sometimes both to determine if there is an excess of lead present in your dog.

Prevention

While there is no way to completely remove the leaded materials from your home, you can decrease the risk of your dog coming in contact with lead based products. This can be done by keeping them from places where you store things such as caulking and roofing materials, sinkers, gun pellets and batteries and by closing off areas of your home where remodeling is being done and keeping the dust and paint chips from that remodeling in the area being worked on.

Treatment

Treatment consists of a variety measures depending on how severe the poisoning is. IVs, seizure medication, drugs and pumping the stomach of your dog may all be methods of treatment used to treat your dog and help remove some of the lead from their system.

In homes where a dog has been diagnosed with lead poisoning, if there are young children in the home they should immediately be tested as well.

Read also: Dog Contact Dermatitis
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Our Expert

Dr. Janice Huntingford
Janice Huntingford, DVM, has been in veterinary practice for over 30 years and has founded two veterinary clinics since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She has studied extensively in both conventional and holistic modalities. Ask Dr. Jan

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