How This Poison Affects Your Pet:
Ethylene glycol has an immediate and a long-term affect on the body. It is rapidly absorbed and metabolized once it has been consumed. Peak blood levels occur within three hours of ingestion. Within thirty minutes after drinking it, your pet will become ataxic or drunken in appearance. This phase continues for up to six hours. Eventually this tipsy behavior subsides and it appears that the problem is over. It is not however, because the ethylene glycol then enters the pet's liver and kidneys where it is oxidized into toxic products that acidify the blood and destroy renal tubular cells in the pet's kidneys. When the kidneys are damaged, they loose their ability to cleanse the body of waste. The transformation of antifreeze leads from glycoaldehyde to glyoxcylic acid, formic acid, and oxalate. It is the glycolic acid and oxalate that is most responsible for kidney damage and resulting uremia. These compounds also seriously damage the central nervous system. There is no treatment that will reverse this damage. It can be so severe as to be fatal in a matter of a few days
Symptoms In Your Pet:
Clinical signs depend on how long it has been since the pet drank the antifreeze as well as the amount they drank. Early symptoms are much like alcohol intoxication. Dogs and cats may vomit due to the irritating effects of ethylene glycol on the stomach. They drink and urinate excessively and may be depressed and wobbly. The increased thirst is due to stimulation of the thirst centers of the brain. Pets may seem on the road to recovery twelve hours later as the ethylene glycol is metabolized by the liver and kidneys. However, a day later in cats and two days later in dogs the patients can suddenly become much worse. They may become depressed, weak, and dehydrated. They may develop diarrhea, mouth ulcers, rapid breathing and seizures. Their kidneys are often painful and swollen.