Coco Rimmington presented as an emergency on a Friday evening. She had been out and about in the community with her family earlier in the afternoon, and then suddenly started to collapse and vomit blue material. On presentation to the clinic, Coco was barely conscious and twitching. Dr Bray suspected that she had eaten snail bait.
With a very guarded prognosis for survival due to her level of toxicity, Coco underwent an enema and had her stomach flushed. It took a long time to completely flush her stomach as Coco had eaten such a huge amount of the bait.
Her recovery was slow, but we are very happy to say that after six days in hospital and much loving care from her family Coco has made a full recovery. She is one very lucky dog!
Snail bait is very toxic to our pets - even the allegedly ‘pet safe' iron-based bait now available. We strongly encourage pet owners to avoid the use of any snail baits, as the outcomes when our curious pet friends eat them can quickly be disastrous.
Common signs of snail bait toxicity include excessive salivation, wobbliness, collapse, vomiting, diarrhoea and seizures. If you suspect your pet has accessed any snail bait, please seek veterinary assistance quickly.
