Pelushka Persians

 ANTIFREEZE

‘One teaspoon of anti freeze is enough to kill the average sized cat’

The major component in Antifreeze is an ingredient called Ethylene Glycol and every year thousands of cats die from Ethylene glycol toxicosis, a type of poisoning that occurs after ingestion of antifreeze or other fluids containing the ingredient Ethylene Glycol, and although cats account for most cases, Ethylene Glycol is toxic to all animals, including humans. One teaspoon of anti freeze is enough to kill the average sized cat.

Ethylene glycol has a sweet taste and cats will consume it readily. Unfortunately, many owners do not realize that their cat has consumed ethylene glycol and do not become aware of the problem until  non-specific symptoms of kidney failure like loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting become apparent two to three days later. Sadly by this time treatment is often futile.

Ethylene glycol itself is relatively non toxic, but once consumed, it is rapidly absorbed and metabolized in the body to several extremely toxic chemicals that are responsible for its potentially lethal effects. Peak blood levels occur within three hours of ingestion. Within thirty minutes after drinking it, a cat will become ataxic or drunken in appearance. This phase continues for up to six hours. Eventually this tipsy behaviour subsides and it appears that the problem is over. However, the ethylene glycol then enters the cat’s liver and kidneys where it is oxidized into toxic metabolites that acidify the blood and destroy renal tubular cells in the kidneys. As 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. These compounds also seriously damage the central nervous system. There is no treatment that will reverse this damage, which can be so severe that in a matter of days a cat lapses into a coma and dies.

Apart from Antifreeze, other potential sources of ethylene glycol include air-conditioning coolants, engine/radiator coolants, hydraulic brake fluids, heat exchange fluids from solar collectors, fluids used in colour film processing, and rather surprisingly, decorative snow globes.