With all this snow and ice freezing up car engines cooling systems, you’ll want to crack open the anti-freeze. However if you’re a pet owner as well as a driver, you’re going to want to make sure that you you screw the lid back on tight or clean up any accidents. According to the RSPCA and the Feline Advisory Bureau household pets, and cats in particular, are very fond of the taste of anti-freeze and will happily lap up any spillages.

Unfortunately it’s also extremely damaging to an animals’ kidneys and ingesting even the smallest amounts can prove fatal. The RSPCA has published a list of symptoms of antifreeze poisoning in pets and recommends that you contact your local vet immediately if your pet shows any of the following:

* Vomiting

* Difficulty breathing

* Appearing drunk and uncoordinated

* Appearing depressed or sleepy

* Seizures or fit

* Increased thirst

* Increased urination

Make sure that you keep the lids of anti-freeze or any cleaning products containing ethylene glycol chemical (the toxic element of anti-freeze) tightly shut. If you spill any of it on the floor of your garage or anywhere at all, make sure that your pets cannot access the area until it is clean and safe.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Home Insurance, Travel Insurance, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.