Cathy Willcock was grief stricken. She believes some incredibly cruel individual had poisoned her beloved black Labrador retriever. Despite heroic efforts by veterinarians in Owings and in Annapolis, Aristotle’s life could not be saved.
“We realized something was wrong with him, and brought him in from the fenced area. The next day (Jan. 31) we knew he was really sick and took him to Calvert Animal Hospital in Owings. Dr. Brown tested him, started initial treatment and sent us to the animal emergency care center in Annapolis.”
As if that brutal event were not enough to rock the senses, a second Calvert County dog became the victim of willful poisoning. Just over two weeks later, Lynne Gillis of Huntingtown told Sheriff’s investigators that someone threw an ethylene glycol laced object into her fenced yard, fatally poisoning her two-year-old dog, Niko.
Gillis, business/econ teacher at Huntingtown High School, and like Willcock, an animal rights activist, was devastated. “Niko was the sweetest dog in the world. He was a mixed breed rescue dog, but he’d become family. Everybody loved him.” She paused, took a deep breath and added, “He was so cuddly, more like a cat than a dog – if you can picture a 65 pound cat – he was a really loveable goofball that got along well with every one, including all of our other dogs.”
Dr. Carl G. Brown recalled the Willcock incident. “Aristotle tested positive for ethylene glycol consumption (most commonly used as anti-freeze) and was in very serious condition. We immediately called the veterinary referral service and made arrangements for the dog to be admitted to the veterinary emergency care center in Annapolis.”
Annapolis confirmed that Aristotle was indeed suffering from acute ethylene glycol poisoning and that his condition was terminal. The painful decision was made to end his suffering.
According to Gillis, Niko was taken to Dunkirk Animal Hospital. There, Dr. Matt Distler confirmed evidence of ethylene glycol poisoning. Niko was taken to Annapolis where a necropsy [the animal version of an autopsy] was performed confirming Niko’s death was caused by the ingestion of antifreeze.
“Aristotle was a rescue dog, too,” Willcock explained. “His life revolved around our family caring for and protecting the other rescue animals here.” Willcock’s ad hoc domestic animal haven in Sunderland supports a variety of rescue animals. Safely enclosed behind an extensive network of fencing reside a pair of Emus, several pigs, a couple of goats, a multitude of chickens, several guinea pigs and a profusion of cats.
“The cats and kittens are mostly from the Friends of Felines organization. The others are drop offs, castoff school science projects, unwanted Easter gifts and roadside foundlings. In the past we’ve also worked with sheltering animals for Calvert Humane Society and for CAWL. “Other people leave on vacations,” Willcock jested, “I choose to stay here and tend to the critters.”
Asked if Aristotle could have accidentally gotten into anti-freeze, Willcock shook her head in disbelief. “I feel terrible about this, because there is no way Aristotle could have accidentally gotten anti-freeze within the secure fenced area he inhabited.”
Willcock is so firmly convinced that Aristotle was not accidentally poisoned that she is offering a $1,000 reward for information on the incident.
“There are no motor vehicles down there,” she said. “All our cars and trucks are parked in the front of the property. I find it hard to believe that any human could be so cruel as to deliberately poison such a sweet, loving animal.”
When Willcock is not up to her withers caring for rescue animals, she operates, along with her children, Loren and Judy, Greencare Lawn & Landscape Co.
Gillis, who is a member of CAWL and the Calvert Humane Society, is at a loss to explain the tragedy. “I cannot conceive how any human being could be so heartless – how anyone could sink so low as to want to impart such a terrible, painful death to any living creature.”
Sheriff Mike Evans [R] expressed his concern. He told us, “Detective First Sergeant Mike Moore and the members of the Calvert Investigative Team (CIT) are looking into these incidents. We are taking these examples of wanton cruelty very seriously, and the investigation is ongoing.”
“This is no joking matter,” agreed Calvert County State’s Attorney Laura Martin. “Maryland considers the action of deliberately poisoning a dog as ‘aggravated cruelty to animals’ – a felony – and as such, offenders may be subject to up to three years incarceration and/or a $5,000 fine for each offense they are convicted of.”
According to the Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers covering 1991 to 1994, about 3,400 poisonings related to ethylene glycol occur each year.
Others claim those figures are badly outdated – that it is closer to 10,000 dogs and cats that are victims of poisoning by automobile antifreeze. It is assumed that most of these tragic deaths are accidental, but that does not diminish the pain and suffering that comes to both the animal and the owner as a result. The difference is – the animal’s pain is usually fatal.
According to the Columbia (MD) Animal Hospital’s “Pet’s Health” web site, “Both cats and dogs are attracted to the smell and taste of ethylene glycol. Therefore, when you or a member of your household changes antifreeze in the driveway, be sure to collect all of the waste coolant and properly dispose of it. And never leave a bucket of ethylene-glycol coolant unattended - even for a moment.
“Also remember that your car can leak coolant at any time. If you see a puddle of greenish-colored liquid in your driveway, flush the area with plenty of water and don't delay locating and fixing the leak. Another method of quick clean up is to spread cat litter on the spill, clean up with rags (which are bagged immediately) and then rinse. Antifreeze will biodegrade, but it takes weeks or months to do so, so removing the spill is absolutely essential.”
One veterinarian [name withheld by request] related the following sad tale, “In our practice we had a tragic incident involving two pets. One dog ingested antifreeze and then vomited the product. The other dog then licked up the vomit and also developed the toxicity. By the time the owner recognized the seriousness of the situation, it was too late and both pets died.”
A bulletin issued by the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine (WSUCVM) confirms that dogs and cats find antifreeze quite tasty and if they find antifreeze they’ll drink it. Very small amounts of antifreeze can be fatal. If a cat walks through a puddle of antifreeze and then licks its paws, it can ingest enough antifreeze to cause death. The WSUCVM bulletin suggests that as little as a tablespoon can kill a good-sized dog.
The WSUCVM bulletin re-emphasizes that ethylene glycol has an appealing smell and sweet taste; unfortunately, it is also a deadly toxin that can kill in very small doses. Animals that ingest it suffer an agonizing death.
And it warns that it’s not only domestic animals that fall prey; children are sometimes affected as well, as are countless wild animals.
Several animal interest sites claim the real tragedy is that antifreeze poisoning is entirely preventable. Today, there are several brands of antifreeze based on propylene glycol, which is much less toxic than ethylene glycol and has the advantage of being bitter-tasting as well.
And there's even better hope for the future: The Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005 would require that a bittering agent be added to all antifreeze sold in the United States. Three states have already passed such legislation locally, but if this federal act makes it into law, antifreeze poisoning could become a thing of the past nationwide.
If your standard practice is to take your car to a mechanic for its winter preparations, be sure to ask specifically for propylene-glycol-based antifreeze. (But be prepared to pay a little more.)
There are several nationally available propylene- glycol (pet-safer) antifreezes on the market, including: Sierra (Safe Brands Corp., 1-800-289-7234); Sta-Clean (Sta-Clean Products, 1-800-825-3464) and Prestone LowTox® Antifreeze/Coolant-available at many automotive stores and the automotive departments of some major chain stores.
Presented here, from Dr. Denise A. Elliott’s TEXTBOOK OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE are the symptoms and the stages of ethylene glycol/antifreeze poisoning in dogs and cats:
“Poisoning classically proceeds through three stages. Absorption after ingestion is rapid and initial signs occur within 30 minutes to 12 hours.
“Ethylene glycol is an alcohol; hence during the initial phase the animals appear “drunk” and consequently exhibit many of the classical signs associated with alcohol intoxication: staggering, stumbling, and incoordination.
“Vomiting, nausea, extreme thirst, and frequent urination are also observed. Some animals simply sleep through this period and owners are not aware that poisoning has occurred.
“At the end of the first phase, the clinical signs resolve and the animal appears to have recovered. The second phase of intoxication occurs 12 to 24 hours after poisoning. The heart rate and breathing rate are rapid, but this is rarely noticed by owners.
“Unfortunately, most dogs and cats poisoned with antifreeze are not recognized until the third stage, when kidney damage becomes apparent and kidney (renal) failure occurs.
Ethylene glycol is converted by the liver to more toxic substances (metabolites) that are responsible for the majority of injury to tissues including the kidney, liver, lungs, and heart.
“Signs of kidney failure include severe depression, vomiting, and diarrhea. The kidneys stop producing urine and toxins normally excreted by the kidney build up in the body, resulting in a life-threatening situation.”
Unfortunately, the prognosis for animals to recover from acute kidney failure is poor.
If you see your pet drinking antifreeze, or are at all suspicious that your pet may have had access to antifreeze, contact a veterinarian immediately. There literally is no time to lose
The Calvert Independent
