> A lesson learned the hard way:
>
> When my '74 MGB developed a bad miss, the compression check revealed
> that #3 cylinder had burned a valve. During disassembly, I placed a
> catch-pan under the car to catch the coolant.
>
> I left it there, under the car, along with manifolds and hoses and
> assorted MOWOG bits. Apparently, the cat got thirsty and drank. The
> vet put her to sleep this morning.
>
> I knew better, but I wasn't thinking.
>>
I'm very sorry to hear about the death of your cat.
We all need to remember how very toxic this stuff really is. I have
witnessed (as a vet) many pet deaths as a result of antifreeze ingestion.
Most of the cases occur in fall and early winter when coolant is drained and
new antifreeze is added. I have found that many people believe that old
antifreeze isn't very dangerous (the fresh stuff is bad, cause it says so on
the label) so they think it's OK to let it run down the driveway or street
gutter. But, the ethylene glycol is just as toxic after a year as it is when
new. Dogs, cats, kids, and anybody else can easily be poisoned by the stuff.
It has a very sweet flavor and cats especially seem to like it.
Unfortunately, the toxic dose in cats is thought to be about 1.5 ml/kg body
weight. That means that less than 1 teaspoon can be fatal in an average size
cat. Dogs can stand a lot more (5-6 ml/kg) but they can lap up a lot in a
short time. Large doses produce acute toxicity and death in 12-36 hours.
Lower doses result in a more prolonged and agonizing toxicity that usually
ends in death due to renal failure. Intenssive therapy can save some
animals, but survival is dose dependant and most die.
Sorry to bomb the list with lessons in veterinary toxicology, but sometimes
we need to be reminded about just how deadly some of the things we work with
can be.
Keith Baer
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