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The first 2 methods to start with, plus the mechanics of activated charcoal as a decontaminant

Methods for gastrointestinal decontamination

Antidepressant as well as ADD/ADHD medications have caused a large increase in accidental exposure calls within the last few years

Antidepressant-related pet poisoning calls surge over 80%

Myths surrounding GI decontamination, and what the truth really is

Gastrointestinal decontamination misconceptions

Ashley Randall, DVM, shares her story into practice ownership and provides tips to help others interested in owning their own practice as well

Is practice ownership for me?

Greg Bishop, DVM, shares the story of how he became a successful author, speaker, cartoonist, and illustrator all while practicing veterinary medicine 

The many hats of a cartoonist veterinarian

Christopher G. Byers, DVM, DACVECC, DACVIM (SAIM), CVJ, discusses common adverse effects of SGLT2 inhibitors and clinical signs of eDKA

eDKA and other adverse effects to SGLT2 inhibitors

Texas A&M cardiologists saved a beloved border collie from a third-degree atrioventricular block 

Service dog receives life-saving cardiological care 

Calviri recently announced the initiation of new vaccine trial that targets early-stage hemangiosarcoma tumors in canines

Biotechnology company launches cancer vaccine trial for dogs

The toxicology page is a comprehensive resource for Veterinary news, animal health, and pet care insights on toxicology. Read more at dvm360.

Toxicology | Veterinary News & Animal Health | dvm360

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Clinical

 toxicology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on the latest in veterinary toxicology. This page consists of videos, interviews, articles, podcasts, and research on the advancements and developments of therapies for toxicology, and more.

As we inch closer and closer to February, Super Bowl parties with family and friends and Valentine's, or Galentine's, Day dates and events are beginning to be planned. However, there are risks on these occasions to pets that clients might not even be aware of. From Xylitol to THC, how can veterinary teams keep pet parents informed and clients safe from the toxins lurking on coffee tables and in suitcases?

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, senior toxicologist for the Pet Poison Helpline, sat down with Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, host of The Vet Blast Podcast, to go over top toxins and how veterinary teams can educate their clients on keeping pets safe and healthy. 

Xylitol truly is everywhere. We say it's everywhere and it really kind of is. We think about it a lot with our sugar-free gums and candies and that's enough to bring a lot of light to it and make people kind of perk their ears and really look at the back of those ingredient labels to see if xylitol is there, but that's just really only one component, one piece of the puzzle with xylitol. There are a lot of products that don't state that they're sugar-free that still contain xylitol. There's products that contain sugar and xylitol in them as well. And so they can be really kind of sneaky as to where they get in there. 

It's a great product for weight loss and weight loss products because of its sweetness and it has a low glycemic index. So you might see it in protein bars, different granola bars, [and] different weight loss products. It has a humectant effect, which means it helps to retain moisture so you might see it in skin lotions and gels, and just kind of all over the place.  

Drs Renee Schmid and Adam Christman dive into the potential dangers that Super Bowl festivities and Valentine's Day celebrations may pose to your patients

Safeguarding pets through Super Bowl and Valentine's celebrations

With the holiday season just weeks away, households across the world are preparing to host family, make delicious dinners, and decorate their homes. However, within the holiday cheer lurks foods and decorations that can be harmful to pets. On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, discloses the risks that pets face this holiday season, plus what happens when a pet ingests a toxin. 

Below is a partial transcript. Listen to the full podcast for more.

: Mistletoe [and] ivy those types of products are usually not a big deal. One of the things we do see though is there are some places that when they are making wreaths, instead of using evergreens they are using Yew plants, and so Yews are something that can cause some pretty significant issues in dogs and cats [such as] cardiac and heart issues. So something to be aware of if you are getting a wreath from a local area. 

As we approach the holiday season, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, breaks down what foods and plants are a risk to your patients, plus the following steps after a suspected poisoning

Holiday toxins 101

, DVM, DABT, DABVT joins The Vet Blast Podcast to discuss the top 5 most common poisons ingested by pets. Adam Christman, DVM, MBA attempts to guess which toxins made the list with surprising results.

I think that toxicology in general isn't talked about very much in schools anymore in colleges, because the curriculum is so rigorous. They are starting to cut a lot of toxicology programs, and so people are really kind of hungry...for more toxicology knowledge when they're out in general practice, emergency practice, or even specialty work.

Learn the top 5 toxins that lead to emergency care for pets

The top 5 most common poisons pets ingest

Monique Y. Wells, VMD, MS, was set on being a veterinarian from a young age, but when she began her journey at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine,  doubts of this pursuit began surfacing. However, when she persevered into her second year, she instantly fell in love with the niche field known as pathology. 

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Wells shared with Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, what ignited her passion, plus the nuts and bolts of being a toxicologic pathologist. 

“[What resonated with me in pathology] was getting to the bottom of things, so the exploration of the ‘final answer’ as to what was making an animal ill or dead, but also...what I knew about pathology at the time which was doing biopsies and necropsies and things like that. Just the visual aspect of it was so compelling to me," Wells said. 

Wells then touched upon the toxicology aspect of her career and how she focuses on understanding harmful chemicals. 

“Toxicology in the industry is focused on the development of chemical products…and all of those things that have a potential of causing harm, the toxicologic pathologist is looking at those entities—those chemicals—and seeing how much of them are required to cause harm, how they cause harm, and whether those harmful things can be reversed after a certain period of time.”

Listen below to hear more about Well's fascinating career and discover how she has been using it as a platform to help propel veterinary medicine in developing countries.

Editors note: All veterinary technician content for this month is supported by Banfield Pet Hospital.

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Monique Y. Wells, VMD, MS, shares what inspired her to pursue veterinary toxicologic pathology, what her career entails, and more. 

Episode 63: A day in the life of a veterinary toxicologic pathologist 

After being sprayed in the face by a skunk, one Jack Russell Terrier developed a life-threatening blood issue. 

Skunk encounter creates rare near-death experience 

As allergy season continues, the relief from allergy medication may not be universal for pet parents and their pets 

Common allergy medications pose serious risks to pets

While trying to calm their pets' anxiety, 2 pups gave their owners anxiety instead 

Canines ingest entire bottle of calming chews

In this latest installment of Pet Poison Helpline’s Toxin Tails, one teacher was taught a lesson on toxin lurking in the workplace 

A cautionary tail for Bring Your Dog to Work Day 

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Ready to jump in? Start exploring the best of

Decontamination Methods of the Dog and Ca

t from the Fetch Kansas City conference in Missouri earlier this year, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, shares what the 2 most common methods for gastrointestinal (GI) decontamination are. In this interview, Schmid also explains how activated charcoal functions as a decontaminant.

To watch the first part of this interview where Schmid talks about GI decontamination misconceptions, click 

So activated charcoal is really cool. It's something that [patients] take…orally and then when you have a toxin, a specific substance that's in the stomach… [that] activated charcoal is able to bind to that particular substance.

There [are] certainly things that it doesn't bind to, so it doesn't work for everything, but it works as kind of like a magnet, so to speak, where these different toxins will actually bind and adhere to that to that particular activated charcoal molecule.

The one thing that is important to always know is that it's a reversible process. And so if there's GI stasis or ileus—something that with time, if that activated charcoal is sitting in the gut not moving, with time that particular toxin can actually break off of that activated charcoal and then get absorbed that way.

Conference

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, explains common misconceptions regarding gastrointestinal decontamination in patients, and the truth behind them

Video interview with Dr Renee Schmid

Missed out on Fetch Kansas City 2024? No worries—we’ve got you covered! For just $199, Fetch On-Demand gives you access to the best sessions, speakers, and over 30 CE credits. Learn when, where, and how it fits into your busy life. Whether you’re catching up between appointments, learning from the comfort of home, or squeezing in a quick session over coffee, Fetch On-Demand gives you the flexibility you need to earn CE credits on your terms.

When a patient enters the clinic after eating something that they should not have, a common response is to inducing vomiting to get the toxic materials out of the patient. What if that was actually not always the best option for treating these emergency gastrointestinal patients? If this is not the best option, then what is?

Decontamination Methods of the Dog and Cat 

lecture, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, disclosed certain misconceptions veterinary professionals have when treating an animal that has ingested something they should not have, including when to avoid inducing vomiting in a patient, why it can do more harm than good, and the true value of activated charcoal. 

I think one of the common things is the perception that if an animal eats something that they shouldn't have, that [you]  should [inducing vomiting for] them, or it's okay to go ahead and make them vomit to try to get that back up and I think that's kind of a normal thought, or a common thought that we have. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that shouldn't come back up through the esophagus because we may potentially cause more damage, and things that, even though they maybe isn't ideal for them to ingest, actually is less harmful for them to pass through, as opposed to trying to get them to vomit. 

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, talks about common toxins for older pets, as well as how breed impacts exposure

Schmid Age, Breed

Are dogs and cats of certain ages more likely to be exposed to toxins? How does breed and species affect exposure? During an interview with 

about her lecture at the 2024 Fetch Kansas City Conference in Kansas City, Missouri earlier this year, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, offered insight into how a pet’s age plays a role in their likelihood of toxin exposure. She also shared common toxins older pets may be more exposed to, as well as how a dog and cat’s breed may or may not affect their odds of getting into things.

When we have an older dog in the household, we may also have an older cat, or vice versa, and so there's more of those medications around. So those were like methimazole for hyperthyroidism. We saw heart medications—pimobendan, Vetmedin, was higher ranked in the older animals. Carprofen is higher ranked in the older animals.

And these are animals that are getting into an overdose, or maybe it wasn't their medication, it was someone else's medication in the household. And so I think it's just that [these medications are] more readily available. Animals are living longer. In veterinary medicine we're able to treat more diseases and try to improve their quality of life, and so we're seeing these animals that are getting into maybe their housemates’, medication, or maybe they were overdosed unexpectedly from an owner.

How age and breed affect toxin exposure

Schmid gives a sneak peek into her upcoming lecture at Fetch Kansas City 

Interview with Dr Renee Schmid

, the Pet Poison Helpline will share the top 10 calls they receive for consultation each year. The team hopes that by sharing this data it can help veterinary professionals be prepared for toxic cases within their clinics and how to help. Although there are common toxins that are on everyone's radar, such as chocolate, ever wonder if any new toxin is out there that veterinary professionals should be educating clients on?

In a sneak peek of her upcoming lecture, "A year in review: Toxin Trends from a Poison Control Center", that she will be presenting at this year's 

, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, senior veterinary toxicologist and director of veterinary medicine at Pet Poison Helpline, shared some trends that have made their way onto the Top 10 Toxins list at Pet Poison Helpline, including a veterinary drug becoming the first to break the top 10. 

It shouldn't be surprising, but interesting to see marijuana and THC. That's something that has continued to creep up the list. It's up to number 6 back in 2023, so this past year, we always kind of look at the year before, and so it's continuing to increase in numbers, as far as the number of calls that we received from that. 

In a preview of her upcoming lecture, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, shares toxins making their way up Pet Poison Helpline's Top 10 toxins. 

Toxicology

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