Don Mathis wrote:
>I didn't know what had happened until a few
>years later when I read that antifreeze is sweet and animals like it. It is
>poison.
You're right; it is sweet. Cloying would be a better word for it. If
anybody feels an overwhelming need to try it, dab a little bit on your
tongue from your finger, then spit it out and thoroughly rinse your mouth.
It's easy to see why animals and children might be tempted to drink it.
>From what I hear from the vet-school folks around here, it's not the
ethylene glycol in antifreeze that's poisonous, but the products formed when
the liver processes it. The recommended first aid for an animal that has
ingested antifreeze is to immediately force-feed it an adult beverage with
high alcohol content. (In other words, get the beast f****d-up drunk and
keep it that way long enough to get to the vet.) The way I understand it,
the liver will give preferential treatment to breaking down the ethyl
alcohol, so the ethylene glycol will remain unprocessed (stay in the
non-poisonous state) until it is excreted or extracted. A temporarily
torpid pet is better than a permanently rigid one.
I'm not a veterinarian (. . . but I play one on TV). Probably a good idea
to consult a vet before taking this advice to heart.
--
Jay Tilton | jtilton@vt.edu
http://fbox.vt.edu:10021/J/jtilton/index.html
|