Onions belong to the Lily Family, Allium, and dogs and cats are prone to poisoning after eating, mainly manifested as red or red-brown urine. Dogs have more diseases and are rare in cats.
Causes of the disease: Onions are rich in nutrients, have a special irritating smell, are rich in Vc, are beneficial and harmless to the human body, and are deeply loved by people, but they are easily poisoned after eating them. After eating onions, dogs will not only stimulate the gastrointestinal tract of the dog and cause inflammatory reactions, but also the spicy and fragrant volatile oil, volatile toxic components N-propyl disulfide or propylene sulfide. Such substances are not easily damaged by heating such as steaming, drying, etc. The older the onions or green onions, the more they are. If G6PD activity is weakened, the oxidant can denature and coagulate hemoglobin, thereby rapidly dissolving red blood cells and forming Heinz bodies. The reticulum endothelial system swallows a large number of red blood cells containing Heinz's body, causing acute hemolytic anemia. Aged red blood cells containing G6PD are more likely to oxidize, denaturate and dissolve than young red blood cells, and red blood cells in weak animals are also easily dissolved. After red blood cells dissolve, hemoglobin is excreted from the urine, which means that the sick dog may experience clinical symptoms such as hemoglobinuria, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, and palpitations.
Clinical symptoms: After dogs and cats eat onions for 1-2 days, they are characterized by red or red-brown urine. In mild cases of poisoning, the symptoms are not obvious, sometimes the spirit is depressed and the spirit is poor, the appetite is poor, and the light red urine is discharged. Severely poisoned dogs show depression, poor appetite or stagnation, and subsequently symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, unsteady walking, lying down, yellow conjunctiva or oral mucosa, rapid heartbeat, gasping, weak, and discharge of crimson red urine. The condition gradually worsens, normal or lowers body temperature, and severe poisoning can lead to death.
Diagnosis According to the history of the diseased dog, the clinical manifestations of the diseased dog and laboratory test, laboratory test: blood tests blood gradually becomes thinner with the severity of the poisoning, the number of red blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin decreases, the number of white blood cells increases, and there are Heinz bodies in or on the edge of the red blood cells. The urine test is red or reddish-brown, and the specific gravity increases. The urine occult blood, protein and urine hemoglobin tests are positive. Red blood cells in the urine sediment are rare or non-existent. It can be diagnosed as onion-eating poisoning.
Treatment Measures Once a dog is found to have onion poisoning, the first thing to do is to stop feeding onions or green onions immediately. The antioxidant VE can be used to protect hemoglobin and prevent the formation of Heinz's body; take supportive therapy, rehydration and nutrition; give an appropriate amount of diuretic to promote the excretion of degenerative hemoglobin in the body, and use a certain amount of antibiotics to prevent the body's resistance from decreasing and secondary infection: if the anemia is severe, blood replenishing drugs can be used. Of course, intravenous blood transfusion can be used to obtain better therapeutic effects.
Treatment plan: ① Dexamethasone, Vc, 50% glucose aqueous solution, 5% sugar saline, mixed intravenous drip. Intravenous blood transfusion 10-20mg/kg body weight. ②2 Frequenture injection, intramuscular injection. ③VB12 injection, intramuscular injection. (For suggestions only, the specific operation needs to be judged based on the situation at that time and follow the plan of the attending doctor)
Summary and experience Do not feed onions or green onions to dogs. When you find that dogs or cats accidentally eat a large amount of onions, you should immediately take measures such as slowing down diarrhea and vomiting, and go to the nearby animal hospital for treatment as soon as possible.