Wookie; the curious puppy
Wookie is a 4 month old Yorkshire terrier puppy who presented to EPC Broadway after getting into the garbage at home. He was found to have chewed up an old pack of cigarettes but it was unknown if any was ingested. Wookie after the ingestion became very hyper and then became profoundly depressed. The owner was concerned regarding low blood sugar (a common problem in toy breed puppies) and administered some pancake syrup. After little to no response to the oral administration of sugar, he decided to bring Wookie into EPC for evaluation.
Wookie, after evaluation, was noted to be very lethargic and depressed with a slow heart beat and full body head and neck tremors. Due to the timeline of the ingestion and onset of clinical signs, ASPCA Poison Control was notified for recommendations for treatment.
Dr. Klippen and the veterinary toxicologists at ASPCA Poison Control determined after lab-work (to rule out other causes) that nicotine exposure/intoxication was the most likely diagnosis. Wookie was admitted to the hospital for care. He vomited several times that smelled strongly of menthol and cloves. He was placed on intravenous fluids to help flush his system and his blood pressure
and heart rate were monitored very carefully. It was touch and go for several hours but Wookie responded very favorably to treatment and was discharged to home the following day.
There is no antidote for nicotine exposure. The majority of dogs exposed to nicotine come from a variety of sources. Tobacco products include cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, snuff, nicotine patches, and chewing gum. Even one cigarette butt contains enough nicotine to be lethal. At low dose exposures and initially after high dose exposure, vomiting, excitement, tremors, possible convulsions, that can quickly progress to depression and death. It is important to have any animal suspected of ingesting anything toxic to be evaluated as soon as possible by a veterinarian or to contact ASPCA Poison Control for their recommendations.
Wookie is doing very well at home currently. The owner reports that he is being more vigilant about keeping the garbage in areas that Wookie can’t access and this was enough of a motivation for him to quit smoking himself.
Dr. Christine Klippen
