What should I do if my dog is showing signs of alcohol toxicity?
Do not give your pet alcohol. If by some chance your pet gets into alcohol, contact a veterinarian and a poison control center immediately. Hospitalization and stabilization may be necessary, and time is of the essence. Supportive care and monitoring are essential to ensure the best outcome for your pet.
Bathing an animal that has become intoxicated due to topical flea spray may be helpful if it was applied recently.
**Please also note that many drink mixers can contain xylitol, a sugar substitute that is toxic to dogs.
For more information, see our article on xylitol poisoning.
Isopropyl Alcohol – Safe for Dogs?
Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, staff doctor at The Animal Medical Center in NYC claims “many pets lick this off their fur and the small amount consumed is not dangerous. The same would be true for the small amount of isopropyl contained in pet wipes. Clearly, the alcohols contained in medications have been proven safe or the Food and Drug Administration would not have approved the use of these medications.”
I have heard of dog’s drinking anti-freeze (supposedly has a sweet taste), gasoline, and loving bitter apple (bitter taste!), so I would still keep it out of reach. But what if it’s put on their body and they lick it off?
The MSDS goes on to warn about acute oral, dermal, and vapor toxicity in animals, though (sadly) special remarks on toxicity to animals are “not available.”
Dogs and Alcohol Toxicity: What happens if your dog drinks alcohol?
When we think about poisoning in our pets, the first things that come to mind are human foods and pesticides such as rat baits and weedkillers. One poison that we often overlook, perhaps because it is so ubiquitous, is alcohol. Like humans, dogs are sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Whilst we don’t typically think of alcohol being a poison, the ingestion of enough of it can result in sedation, unsteadiness on the feet, vomiting, low body temperature, depression of the breathing, increases in the acidity of the blood, low blood sugar, coma, seizures and death.