Despite the recent media hysteria around pets being killed by e-cigs and e-liquid none have actually been reported – however it is worth a timely reminder to keep your vape gear in a safe place.
I’m pretty sure every single one of you out there already does that – especially if you have kids – but pets as we know have a habit of getting themselves in all kinds of bother if left unsupervised – something my ex used to say about me!
No Pet Deaths From E-Cigs But Be Aware of the Dangers
A recent report by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service [VPIS] says it has seen a marked increase in pet poisonings from ‘e-cigarettes’.
They say that 113 pets – not clear if that is just dogs – were poisoned after ingesting electronic cigarettes – a total of 1% of all reports of poisoning to the VPIS.
OK let’s just put that into perspective shall we.
According to the RSPCA in 2017 there are currently 8.5 million dogs and 8.0 million cats living in family homes in the UK.
And so whilst any poisoning of a pet is awful the actual percentage of pets being poisoned from contact with any type of vape gear is minuscule.
NO Pet Deaths Reported
Again I am NOT belittling the loss of beloved pets or indeed any that become ill – as it says in my bio I am a dog lover and currently without one for the longest time I can ever remember.
The findings admit that:
…these reports do not mean that the pet died from the poisoning, and they also do not take into account poisonings that were not reported.
However, when you actually look at the numbers – there’s not one report of a pet dying after ingesting or coming into contact with an e-cigarette:
…dogs there was a fatal outcome in 71 cases (which were thought to be due to poisoning).
Of these 36 dogs died and 35 were euthanized. Poisoning with an unknown agent was suspected as the most common cause of a fatal outcome, followed by metaldehyde and ethylene glycol antifreeze. Dermatological creams for humans were involved in five cases (calcipotriol, calcitriol, 5-fluorouracil). There were four fatal cases involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), three with naproxen and one with ibuprofen.
And as you can see from the chart the highest killer of pets through poisoning is still non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen among others.
This is quickly followed by rat poison and chocolate with grapes, sultanas, raisins, currants and paracetamol also the main sources of pet poisonings.
So in the scheme of things pets poisoned by e-cigs and e-liquids that contain nicotine are extremely rare – and none have been reported as fatal – but please do keep your pets away from them – especially young puppies who will chew anything as I know from experience!
Top UK vet Gudrun Ravetz said:
It is important to remember that e-cigarettes and refills can easily contain sufficient quantities of nicotine to kill a small animal very quickly. If pet owners use e-cigarettes, we’d recommend storing all equipment safely out of reach of their pet.
Wise words and like I said I’m pretty sure all of you out there are already doing that – but please please keep your pets safe.
Symptoms of Nicotine Poisoning in Pets
I’ve taken this directly from the Pet Poison Helpline:
Nicotine poisoning in pets has a rapid onset of symptoms – generally within 15 to 60 minutes following ingestion. Symptoms for dogs and cats include vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, elevations in heart rate and respiration rate, depression, tremors, ataxia, weakness, seizures, cyanosis, coma, and cardiac arrest.
If you vape around pets and are at all concerned you MUST contact or get your pet to the vet IMMEDIATELY.
